Devotion - Day 11

The Church – different names and titles.

God has given over 70 different names and titles to the Church. Each of these declares to us another facet of divine truth relative to the Church. It is only as we examine all of these individual pictures that we can have a complete understanding of the whole. Each of these individual pictures tells us something unique about the nature of the Church and what God plans to do through the Church. The Church is likened to many things including:

1. The Branch of the Lord’s Planting (Js. 60:21).
2. The City of the Living God (Heb. 12:22).
3. The Church of the Firstborn (Heb. 12:23).
4. The flock of God (Ezek. 34:15; I Pet. 5:2).
5. A Golden Lamp stand (Rev. 1:20).
6. God’s Field (I Cor. 3:9).
7. God’s Heritage (Joel 3:2; I Pet. 5:3).
8. Heavenly Jerusalem (Gal. 4:26; Heb. 12:22).
9. An Inheritance (Ps. 78:71); Is. 19:25).
10. The Israel of God (Gal. 6:16).
11. Mount Zion (Heb. 12:22).
12. The Mountain of the Lord’s House (Is. 2:2).
13. The Pillar and Ground of Truth (I Tim. 3:15).
14. A Pleasant Portion (Jet 12:10).
15. A Vineyard (Jer. 12:10 Matt. 21:41).
16. Bride of Christ (Rev. 21:9).
17. Congregation of Saints (Ps. 149:1; 89:5).
18. General Assembly (Heb. 12:23).

Each of these pictures could be examined individually to see the distinct contribution that each one of these makes to the whole concept of what God is doing through the Church, but we are going to give ourselves to a few of the main New Testament pictures of the Church that seem to be emphasized to a greater degree throughout the whole Bible. As we examine these including God’s Peculiar People, God’s Temple or Building, God’s Family or Household and the Body of Christ, we can expect to discover some of the truths that God has concealed in these pictures for our benefit.

Devotion - Day 10

The Church Has A Local Expression

Jesus taught us a great deal about the nature of the local expression of the Church that He was building. In Matthew 18:15-22, where he deals with an example of an actual church body, he implies the following:
• The Church is composed of brothers.
• The Church is involved in areas of discipline.
• The Church is an area of local government.
• The Church is a defined body from which one could be expelled.
• The Church is a place of fellowship in faith and prayer.
• The Church is a place where Christ promises to be in the midst.
• The Church is a gathering identified with the name of Christ.
• To be disciplined by the Church is to be disciplined by Christ.
• The authority of the Church is based on unity.
• One person cannot make up a church.
• Until the Church is completed, there is going to be a great need for love, patience and a lot of forgiveness.

As the Church developed, the local expression of the Church became more easily definable. This Church can be seen in direct relation to what Jesus taught about the Church. In the Book of Acts we see the local church as:
• A congregation or assembly of people in a given locality (Acts 8:1).
• An assembly of believers in Christ (Acts 5:14).
• A place of teaching and discipline (Acts 11:26).
• A complete unity in itself with corporate authority (Acts 15:22).
• Built by Christ Himself (Acts 2:47).
• Part of Christ Himself (Acts 5:14).
• A place where the Lord adds people, not man (Acts 5:13).
• Disciplined by Christ Himself (Acts 5:5).
• Structured, having men ordained in positions of authority to exercise leadership, discipline and oversight (Acts 14:23; 20:17-28).
• A place of manifold ministry (Acts 13:1; 15:4).
• Joined in voluntary fellowship with other local churches (Acts 15:3-4).
• A place established in the faith (Acts 16:5).
• A place from which ministry was sent out (Acts 13:1-4).

The whole thrust of the New Testament is the Local Church. Each book of the New Testament demonstrates how God uses the Local Church to bring His people to maturity and completion. Nowhere in the New Testament do we have an alternative plan suggested. God wants us to emphasize what He emphasizes and get excited about what He is excited about.

Devotion - Day 9

The Church Will Be A Unified Church

The church is a complex organism that has a tremendous unity in the midst of diversity. Unity does not mean uniformity. Uniformity implies a loss of identity and individuality. In the unity that exists in the Church we maintain individuality, personality, unique expression and a variety of function, and yet we come into a corporate identification where we forfeit our rights to act independently of the rest of the members. This relationship is seen in various New Testament pictures of the church;

• The church is ONE body with MANY members.
• The church is ONE temple with MANY stones.
• The church is ONE flock with MANY sheep.
• The church is ONE nation with MANY citizens.
• The church is ONE vine with MANY branches.
• The church is ONE family with MANY brothers and sisters.
• The church is ONE army with MANY soldiers.

The Church can only become one as it follows after the one Head, Christ (Eph. 4:13). The foundation of this unity in the Church is in its relationship to God. The Church is one because its God and Father is one, because its loyalty is to one Lord, because it is indwelt by the one Holy Spirit.

Jesus prayed that the church might be one. If ever anyone prayed according to the will of God it was Jesus. If anyone’s prayer will ever be answered it will be the prayer of the only begotten Soil of God. He prayed that the people of God would be one even as He was one with the Father (John 17:11, 21).

Paul prayed often for the unity of the Church. He desired to see unity in many areas. He wanted:
• Unity of mind (Rom. 15:5-6; Phil. 1:27; 2:2; 4:2).
• Unity of fellowship (Rom. 15:7; I Cot 1:10-15; 3:3-8).
• Unity of love (Phil. 2:2).
• Unity of doctrine (Eph. 4:13-14; Gal. 1:8-9; II Tim. 1:5-9).
• Unity of witness (Rom. 15:6; Phil. 1:27).
• Unity of Spirit (Eph. 4:3).

Devotion - Day 8

The Church Is A Living and Spiritual Organism

In the context of Matthew 16:16-18, Jesus also implied that the Church is more than an organization, it is an organism. An organism is something that has structure and life, while an organization implies only structure. A machine has organization in that it is composed of an orderly arrangement of many parts, but it is not an organism because it has no life.

Peter’s confession of faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of the living God makes the Church something that has life. The Church is an organism made up of those who have had a spiritual experience and possess spiritual life. There is no evidence that anyone ever became a member of a New Testament Church until they had experienced that new birth which comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In addition to the fact that the Church is a spiritual organism because it is comprised only of those individuals who have spiritual life and are indwelt by God, it is also the dwelling place of the Spirit of God in a corporate sense (I Cor. 3:16-17; Matt. 18:19-20). As the people of God are united together they form a habitation of God by the Spirit (Eph. 2:21-22).

Eph 2:19-22
Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom every building having been fitly framed together, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord; in whom you also are built together for a dwelling place of God through the Spirit.

Devotion - Day 7

God Is The Architect Of The Church Of Jesus Christ

Being the architect; it is also true that God has the plan, pattern or blueprint for the Church. God did not conceive a beautiful idea and then turn it over to the ingenuity of man to come up with a plan to make it work (Heb. 8:5).

As men we must be willing to concede that if God has an idea or a goal, He also has a pattern, a blueprint, or a design by which He will insure that His idea or goal will be reached. If the Lord is going to build a Church, it is basic that He as a wise master builder build it according to the divine blueprint or design.

Being the architect, God only has one pattern for the church. We know that God has firmly established a pattern for all things in heaven (Heb. 9:23). There is one blueprint, and all of the labourers must build according to the same blueprint. As labourers together with God we need to make sure that the pattern and the blueprint that we are following is truly the pattern and blueprint of God’s making.

God not only has a pattern for the Church, He has had a pattern for every structure that He ever commanded to be built. He had a pattern for the ark of Noah (Gen. 6:14-15). God provided the pattern for the tabernacle of Moses (Ex. 25:9, 40; Num. 8:4), the temple of Solomon (I Chr. 28:11-19), Ezekiel’s Temple (Ezek. 43:10-11) and the Eternal City of God (Rev. 21:15).

If any church is to maintain the presence of the Lord it must determine that it will accept the pattern of the Word as its pattern. God only promises to bless and fill that which is made according to the pattern (Mark 16:20).

Devotion - Day 6

Two Aspects of The Church

There are two primary ways in which the term “church” is used in the New Testament. Jesus Himself used the term “church” on two occasions and each time He used it in a unique sense. An understanding of these two senses is basic to an appreciation and understanding of all subsequent uses.

The first usage is introduced by Jesus in Matthew 16:18 where He said, “upon this rock I will build my Church”. When Jesus used this term in this passage He was not referring to any particular locality or group of believers, He was designating the church in its broadest sense. He was referring to that which is heavenly, eternal, and comprehensive and still in the process of construction. This Church includes that company of believers in Christ in all ages, living and dead, who are distinct from the world by virtue of their calling from and separation unto God (ph. 1:22; 3:10; 3:21; 5:25-32).

In its broadest sense we could say that the Church even includes those of the human race who are even as yet unborn but who in their lifetime will be numbered among the redeemed by virtue of their responsiveness to the calling of God to salvation. This Church involves a mystical union of all believers of all ages into a spiritual body for the habitation of the Spirit, with Jesus Christ as its head. It is not a union that can presently be seen in the visible sense, but it is an invisible reality in the eyes of God.

This aspect of the Church is referred to as the Mystical Church, the Universal Church, the Invisible Church or the Body of Christ worldwide.

The Local Church

The second usage of the word “church” was also initiated by Christ in His only other reference to the term “church” in the New Testament in Matthew 18:17. In this context Jesus was discussing disciplinary procedures among believers. He dealt with the problem of offenses in the context of a specific group of people that made up a local, earthly, definable, restricted body consisting of professed Christians voluntarily associating together around the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Out of the 114 uses of the word “church” in the New Testament it is interesting that 96 references are clearly to what we shall call “the Local Church” or the “Visible Church”. The Local Church is a present, visible earthly expression in time of the Body of Christ.

Local churches are New Testament organizations of groups of believers in given localities, which are marked out by confession of faith, discipline of life, obedience in baptism, gathered to the person of Jesus Christ, having gifted ministries and keeping the memorial of the Lord. They are always spoken of as complete units within themselves which may voluntarily cooperate and fellowship with other local bodies.

Prayer corner before church...

"As they MINISTERED to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said 'Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" (Acts 13:2)

Wow! If "ministering" to the Lord (and fasting) was the beginning of
two of the greatest missionary careers, what could happen nowdays? What does "ministering to the Lord" mean?? Suggestions from this morning were:

* worshipping (as some other versions say)
* spending time with God, not just interceding all the time
* using the 5 love languages(!) to relate to God
* speaking in tongues
* Thanking him for who He is and what he has done in our lives
* Acknowledging the Blesser, not just the blessings.

Any other ideas??

God wants us to desire Him as much as He desires us!!!

Just as we want Him to minister/ comfort/ speak to us, we need to minister to Him. His purpose and growth of His Kingdom comes from our relationship with Him.

Steadfast in Prayer

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer - Rom 12:10-12

Devotion - Day 5

The Church. OT and NT Terminology

When Christ came and established the Church, the Church became all that Israel was to be, so much so that the exact same terminology is used of the Church in the New Testament as was used of the Church in the Old Testament.
Notice the following chart:

TERM USED ------- O.T. CHURCH ------ N.T. CHURCH
A Chosen People ---- Deut. 10:15 ---------- I Peter 2:9
A Holy Nation ------ Exodus 19:6 ---------- I Peter 2:9
The People of God -- Psalm 100:3 ---------- II Cor. 6:16
A Priesthood ------- Exodus 19:6 ---------- I Peter 2:9
God’s Treasure ----- Exodus 19:5 ---------- Matt. 13:44
The Bride or Wife -- Isaiah 54:6; 62:5 ----- II Cor 11:2-3
God’s Vineyard ----- Isaiah 5:7 ----------- Matt. 20:1; I Cor. 3:9
God’s Inheritance -- Isaiah 19:25 ---------- I Peter 5:3
Israel --------------- Isaiah 44:6 ---------- Gal. 6:16
God’s Flock -------- Jer. 23:3 ------------- I Peter 5:2
A House ------------ Ezek. 18:31 ---------- I Tim. 3:15
A Light ------------ Isaiah 60:1,3 -------- Matt. 5:14
God’s Witness ------ Isaiah 43:10 --------- Acts 1:8
A Church ----------- Acts 7:38 ------------ Gal. 1:13

The great mystery hidden for ages but preached by the apostles in the New Testament was that the Jew and the Gentile were now made one (Eph. 2:14; 3:5-6), in one body and one building. This building is built upon the foundation laid by the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles, Jesus Christ being the Chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20-22). The old and new were built into one habitation of God through the Spirit.

What If His People Prayed

What if the armies of the Lord
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captives free
And not let satan have one more

What if the church, for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took a stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates

What if His people prayed
And all who bare His name
Would humbly seek His face
And Turn from their own way

And what would happen if we prayed
For those raised up to lead the way
Then maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see light of day

What if the life that we pursue
Came from a hunger for the truth
What if the family turned to Jesus
Stopped asking Oprah what to do

He said that they would hear
His promise has been made
He'll answer loud and clear
If only we would pray

If My people called by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray
If My people called by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray

What if His people prayed

Devotion - Day 4

The Church Not A Building

It is important for us to understand that the word “church” is never used to refer to a building or a house of worship. In our English usage it is often used of a building, but this usage is foreign to the New Testament concept of the Church.

The Church meets in a building or house but it is not a material building itself (Rom. 16:5). The people of God are a spiritual house and if we make the mistake of thinking of the Church as a natural building we will become building worshippers. We will be much like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who admired the stones and materials out of which their natural buildings were constructed (Mk. 13:1; Matt. 24:1-2).

The tragedy is that we can have the view that the Church is a building and miss the true Church. We can put all of our energies into glorifying a natural facility and miss the responsibility that we have before God to give our energies and time to the edification of the people of God who, after all, are the true spiritual house that God is indwelling (Heb. 3:6). It is also important for us to realize that this word “church” in the New Testament is never used to refer to a sect, a denomination, or an organization.

Rom 16:5
Likewise greet the church that is in their house.

Mat 24:1, 2
And Jesus went out and departed from the temple. And His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, there shall not be left here one stone on another that shall not be thrown down.

Heb 3:6
But Christ was faithful as a Son over his own house; whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

Devotion - Day 3

The Church – ‘the called out ones’

The Word “Church” Defined

In order for us to understand the true nature of the Church we have to understand the meaning and usage of the world “church.” The word “church” comes from the Greek word “ekklesia.” This word in its simplest definition means “the called out ones.”

The word is used this way a couple of times in the New Testament. When Paul and his company had stirred up the local god-makers in Ephesus, the citizens of Ephesus had such an assembly in an attempt to deal with the problem. This assembly is referred to by the word usually translated “church” (Acts 19:32, 29, 41).

In The New Testament

In the New Testament the word “ekklesia” is used 114 times and 110 times it definitely refers to the “called out ones” of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself introduces this usage when He refers to “His Church” (Matt. 16:18). The personal pronoun “My” differentiates this company from all other groups of people.

This church to which Jesus refers is not just any gathering or assembly, this is “His” gathering and “His” assembly. It includes those who have been called out from their place of habitation in this world, who have separated themselves unto God and unto the door of the New Testament Tabernacle, Jesus Christ Himself!

His church consists of free citizens of the heavenly community summoned by the trumpet of the gospel to assemble themselves together for worship and fellowship.

(Phil 3:15; I Cor 1:25-26; II Pet 1:10).

Devotion - Day 2

Jesus is the head of The Church , His Body”

Eph 1:20-23 (MSG)
All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name, and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.

Eph 5:23.... even as Christ is the head of the church ...

Wow! Not only is Christ the cornerstone of the Church. Not only is the church founded on the revelation that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God but Christ is the head of the church, His body and rules the church. He is Lord.

Isaiah 9:6,7
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever.

Phil 2:9-11
Therefore God has highly exalted Him, and has given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly ones, and of earthly ones, and of ones under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of God. All authority has been given to Him. He is the head of the church His body and the supreme ruler of The Church. Let us submit to His Lordship and pray that our part of His body The Church will be His authentic agent here in the city of London.

Don asked us by text to blog thoughts from prayer this morning:

* God is asking us to 'minister to Him' (see Acts 13:2).
* Picture of weeds being pulled out- that God wants to weed out any wrong doctrine and things that don't glorify Himself from churches in London.
* Felt to pray for the street preachers here, that they would go about it God's way, and peoples' hearts would be softened to them.
* For peoples' hearts to be softened in general to the things of God.
* That God would raise up more prayer warriors in London/ England to kindle revival here.

Devotion - Day 1

“Jesus Christ the cornerstone of the Church”

Mat 16:13-18
And coming into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples, saying, who do men say Me to be, the Son of Man? And they said, some say, John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He said to them, but who do you say I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered and said to him, You are blessed, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father in Heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter (petros –pebble/small rock), and on this rock (petra-massive rock) I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Contrary to popular opinion the church of Jesus Christ is not built on the apostle Peter but on the revelation that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God.

Eph 2:19-22
Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom every building having been fitly framed together, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord; in whom you also are built together for a dwelling place of God through the Spirit.

Christ is that capstone, the keystone, or the headstone in the temple of God. Christ is the first and the last, the beginning and the ending, the Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:1 1). Christ is the author and the finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). Christ is the one who will bring completion to the Temple of God and it is by Him that all things consist (Col. 1:17; 2:9).

There is no question that all of the twelve apostles in the New Testament had a distinctive place in relationship to the foundation of the Church (Eph. 2:20). It was their teaching that was going to root and ground the Church (Acts 2:42), but what did they teach? What principles did they establish? The apostles in the New Testament Church laid down the first principles of the doctrine of Christ (Heb. 6:1-2). They were faithful in the beginning stages of laying the foundation, and because of that fact their names will be written in the foundation stones of the Holy City for all eternity (Rev. 21:14).

As we stand in the gap for Doxa Deo in prayer and intercession during these next 40 days let us pray for Jesus Christ to remain the central focus of Doxa Deo and for a continued and growing revelation that He is the Christ the son of the living God.

Let us surrender anew and afresh to His Lordship and pray for the grace and wisdom to serve His purposes in the city.

The Church - Prayer Focus

Areas to pray for
- To be a church led by the Spirit of God
- Spirit filled leadership (leadership on all levels of the church)
- To increase in our passion for Christ
- To hunger for God's Word
- An increased thirst for the Holy Spirit
- See people saved, baptized in water, filled with the Holy spirit and reconciled with God
- Our Small Groups becoming life giving evnironments
- Provision of strategic Venues
- Faith for the establishment of the current ministry points as campuses. (growth)
- Faith for the transformation of the city
- Unity and integration with the body of Chirst in London

Sunday's Prayer Corner 17/06/07

From 9am prayer corner on Sunday:
* We prayed for the up and coming 40 days of prayer.
* For the protection and blessing on our leaders at Doxa Deo.
Because if the shepherd is struck, it is easier to get to the flock:
Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered." Matthew 26:31.
* We had a devotion about how it is Biblical to pray for peoples' hearts to be moulded to God's path, softened or hardened so that we follow his will.
Pr 21:1
The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
Eze 36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Ex 14:8
And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness.
Jos 11:20
"For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Countdown!

As the 40 days of prayer draws near, I pray that God will prepare our hearts, minds and Spirit for what is He wants to do.
I believe that as we participate together in drawing near to God and pray, that we'll receive precious revelations from Him over this time of prayer.

May the expectation and preparation in our hearts grow as the countdown towards the 40 days of prayer starts!

(click on the comments link below to follow the countdown)

Standing in the Gap for Doxa Deo London

STANDING IN THE GAP FOR THE CHURCH
Forty days of focussed prayer and fasting
20 June – 29 July
FAITH FOR A CHURCH, FAITH FOR A CITY

2 Chronicles 7:14
If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

'Thy Kingdom Come Thy Will be Done'

The features of this forty day period will include:

1. A Prayer Blog for daily feedback, encouragement and prayer pointers (doxadeoprayer.blogspot.com)
   
   
2. Daily Devotions on prayer posted on the website and the prayerblog
   
   
3. Prayer and Fasting Roster. 4 -5 people fasting and/or praying each day
   
   
4. Prayer for the Nations. Every Monday evening for 5 consecutive weeks
   
   
5. Pre-Celebration Praying. A 30 min prayer meeting before each Sunday service
   
   
6. Two 24 Hour Prayer Chains. At the church offices from 0900 on Saturday to 0900 Sunday on 23/24 June and 14/15 July.
   
   
7. Skype Triplets. Skype two friends and spend 30 min praying: Thy Kingdom Come in London.
   
   
8. Praying at Trafalgar Square. 30 June 0800 -0900
   
   
9. Prayer Walking. Each cell group encouraged to prayer walk their neighbourhood at least once during the 40 day period
   
   
10. Mind Moulders. 5 days of focused prayer on each of the 8 mind moulders

Standing in the gap for London

Dear Doxa Deo partner and prayer warrior,
I am exited about the upcoming 40 days of prayer and fasting as we again humbly intercede before God for this great city. I am presently working with the Prayer Forum to put together all the features and activities for this focussed time of prayer.
Watch this space.
Blessings!
Don Price