Building the Church: A Focus on People

Devotional

Sermon Summary

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"Whatever you might think about the owner of the church, his name is Jesus. He's the owner of the church. Whatever you might think about the pastor, he has the divine assignment, the divine authority. He's got that. That's all his. But the object of the church is about people. It's about people. Jesus didn't select Peter just so he could walk around and talk about, I am Peter. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Jesus had something bigger in view than just his preacher. Jesus had people in view. The church is about people." [00:16:46]

"Peter and Paul, Peter and Paul, Barnabas is on soon for sure. Philip is on soon for sure. Stephen is on soon for sure. They're all on soon. Saul, Paul and Silas, Silas is on soon. But the main characters are Peter and Paul. Peter is there from Acts chapter 1 all the way over to Acts chapter 11. Peter, Peter is the dominant person. And after we move from Acts chapter 11, Luke tells us about Peter in Acts chapter 12. Peter is in prison and the angel comes and releases him." [00:19:41]

"And you and I need to understand it because the church, the church is about people. It's about people. In some way or another, we turn our churches into little clubs sometimes, and we just get in love with ourselves and everything. But no, no, the church is about people. Upon this rock, I have built my church, and Jesus makes it clear about the fact that the church is about people. People are important. People are important. They're so important that Jesus don't want us to mess up the people in the church." [00:29:53]

"Jesus said, while men slept, an enemy came in and sowed tare among the wheat. And they said, Lord, shall we, he said, no, let them grow together. The church is important. Let the wheat and the tare, oh, it's so hard on the pastor to let the wheat and tare grow together. Every man and his sister, tare stick their head up, brother, tare stick their head up, and we want to tare them right out. Listen, I know who they are. They are, I know who they are. I know who they are." [00:32:41]

"Jesus said that the wheat and tear grow together because the church is about people he also said he said the church is made up of a wise and foolish he said five wise and five foolish ten virgins he said ten ten in the church and they all they all they all look alike and they all slept and slumbered but the five were wise and five were foolish the wise had oil in their lamps the food is just had left but jesus didn't do it he said leave him alone leave him alone leave him alone they all slept and slumber leave them alone leave them alone." [00:36:01]

"Because what happens is when you start messing with it, you're going to pull up the wheat with the tare. Oh, Lord, and mercy. Many pastors tear up this church trying to get rid of it with tare. Oh, Lord, and mercy. Oh, Lord, and mercy. You better leave it alone. You better leave it. After a while, there won't be nobody but you. I know a pastor, he sat down the choir. He sat him down. I sat down the choir. That be quick. There was all my name. I sat down the choir." [00:49:54]

"God is in control. And the promise we have is that the gates of hell should not prevail against the church. Look at the church where it is today. The church started off, it was those 12 that Jesus had selected. And the Bible knows, the Bible tells us, that as many as 500 saw Jesus after he rose from the grave. But that was just that group. And the church was just in Jerusalem. But Jesus said to them, the church is going. You shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem. In Judea. Under Samaria. Unto the uttermost part of the earth." [00:50:13]

"Because Jesus said you need to understand there's a promise. And that promise is that the church will grow. And the gates of hell should not prevail against it. You know, even if you have a place. Some of you have gates. Have yards with gates. We have a gate on our parking lot. But gates are not offensive. You never see the gate go after anybody. Gates are defensive. Gates keep you from going in. And there's gates against the church all over the world. But Jesus said, I want you to know that the gates of hell should not prevail against the church." [00:51:53]

"And somehow or another the church keeps marching on. Further and further down the way. I say a great hope that a great hope there's a place for you. But God blesses a tither and a tithing church. And he that with his souls is wise. And the church grows by the sheep bearing sheep. Land can't have sheep. But after a while the land will grow into a sheep. And sheep can bear sheep. You never see the pastor have sheep. Wherever you see the lambs at, the pastor never bears any sheep. But it's the people in the church that grow up and bear sheep in the church." [00:53:56]

"Jesus said, upon this rock I will be in my church. And the gates of hell should not prevail against it. How did I know? Because the Bible tells me so. I heard Paul said that we have to put on the whole arm of God. That we might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. You see the devil handles the gates of hell. He's there trying to keep the church from going forward. But all we got to do is just tell somebody about Jesus. If we talk about Jesus, we will work it out. Could I get a witness?" [00:57:28]

"Jesus said, if I be lifted up, I'll go on me and underneath. But we all forgot about Jesus. But I come to tell you, I need to tell somebody that Jesus is the only of the church. And the only Jesus that put the pastor there in the church. But people need to know that they are important to Jesus. Jesus said, don't worry about how you're going to make it. Can I get a witness? Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy -maiden. And I will give you rest. Can you hear Jesus telling the people, take my yoke upon you." [00:59:36]

"Let me, for I'm meek and loaded heart. And you'll find rest until you sow. And my yoke is easy and my burden is light. We need to tell them, that all these times going on, and jobs, being lost, somebody said, Oh Lord, that President Biden, increase the government by 82 ,000. Oh Lord, somebody said, that Trump, don't get rid of all those 82 ,000. Oh Lord, that Biden, can't drop soon. But I come to tell you, don't worry about what the world may do. If you belong to the Lord, that he will take care of you." [01:01:36]

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