<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="65001"%> It's Not About That

It’s Not About That

A message of encouragement for New Saint John Baptist Church
By William R. Cunningham
February 25, 2007

Scripture texts:

Let’s look at four verses of scripture. These verses collectively reveal a couple of points that I would like to present to you today. I encourage you to go through the scriptures and determine the purpose of the church as well as the primary objective of God in relationship to the church.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) -- {18} And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. {19} Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Mark 16:15 (NKJV) -- {15} And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Revelation 2:2-5 (NKJV) -- {2} “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; {3} and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. {4} Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. {5} Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) -- {33} But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Introduction

Churches, especially the traditional churches, have lost its way. Many churches and those who regularly attend them are focused on things pertaining to religion instead of those things that pertain to God and his will for us. We have forsaken the call of God so that we would follow men. Many people are lost today because people have pledged their allegiance to men instead of God. We purpose to be religious instead of living the righteous life that Jesus Christ died for.

We spend a lot of time and energy with church services, various anniversaries, tithes and offerings, boards and auxiliaries. We get caught up in the mundane religious activities that add up to nothing in the end. It is important to know that Christianity and what God is doing now has nothing to do with the religious ceremonies that we subscribe to. It’s not about church services. It’s not about the pastor’s anniversaries. It’s not about the ministers, evangelists, or trustees. It’s not about speaking in tongues. It’s not about the building, the pews, and the paint on the walls. It’s about none of those things.

The four verses of scripture that we read previously show the important elements of the Christian faith and of the true church, the body of Christ.

Spreading the Gospel everywhere
Developing more disciples of Jesus Christ
Accomplishing the things that God has purposed for us
Remember that God’s Kingdom and his righteousness are the priority

These are the very things that have been abandoned by many people and therefore in many churches. We are so tied up with religious activities that we don’t do what we should do in the first place. The things that we do may be good, but they are not what God has purposed for us or we place too much emphasis on them.

It’s time for us to repent and get back on track. We have left the first calling and we need to turn around and go back to it. We need to throw away the religious dedications and align ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and the true purpose of the church. It’s not about all of the religious stuff that we do (See Isaiah 64:6), but rather the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s all about Jesus and what he stood for.

The First Call

What is the fundamental purpose of the church of Jesus Christ? What should the church truly be about? The answer to these are revealed to us in what Jesus told his disciples after his resurrection and even before his death.

Mark 16:15 (NKJV) -- {15} And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

The first call of the church is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now the question that we have is, “What have we done to do our part in that call?” What have you as an individual done and collectively as a church done to fulfill the first call of the church? Have we truly gone out to spread the gospel or have we subscribed to the age old tradition of trying to get people to come to the church to be saved.

One of the deadliest traditions in the church is the idea that we should bring our unsaved friends to the church so that they would hear the gospel preached by the pastor and come to Christ. This is the complete and absolute opposite of what the Bible teaches us about preaching the gospel. First, the church is really the fellowship of the saints so it is the gathering of those who already saved and not those who would be saved. This is one of the prevalent misconceptions that I find in the church. We believe that we should bring people to the church meetings to get saved.

Secondly, Jesus is very clear about sending his disciples out to spread the gospel and not sending them out to bring people back to the gospel. Our strategies should be that of spreading the word of God out to people and not spreading a net out to gather the people to bring back to home base. People need to hear Jesus Christ and not the dogma of your preachers and teachers.

The apostles did not go out to gather the people to bring them back to a local church so that they would hear the gospel. No. The apostles, evangelists and all others had the mindset of going out to spread the gospel. When people responded positively to the gospel and put their faith in Christ then they gathered together at a local church (assembly) to worship and fellowship together as Christians.

Inside the Four Walls

Pursuing the Truth Ministries gives me the opportunity to talk to people all over the world and different parts of the United States. Actually it is the Internet that affords me that opportunity. Anyway, people all over the world have the same problem and that problem is church. People are fed up with the religious bondage that have plagued their lives. They want to know the truth. They want to know the answers to their questions and the meaning of life. They don’t need your anniversaries, programs, and shows. They need Christ. They need the truth.

It is amazing when I talk to people who have no clue of the world outside of their own church or denomination. Church folk speak their various clichés and expect everyone else to know what they mean. You have accepted the dogma that has been handed to you Sunday after Sunday and you still have no clue how useless that information is to those who are having real problems and are truly seeking the Lord. You confine yourself to the four walls, so to speak, of your church never really knowing what’s beyond it and therefore never really able to take the gospel to anyone else except those who may happen to be of the same mindset as your church religion.

Romans 10:13-15 (NKJV) -- {13} For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” {14} How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? {15} And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

Look at this verse of scripture very carefully. People do not believe the gospel because they have not heard the gospel. That is problem number one. We think we have to bring people to the church, but when we do the only thing they get is your dogma and traditions. It is because we are not going out that they don’t hear and because they don’t hear they don’t believe. Notice that Paul refers to the preacher being sent, which implies that the preacher goes out to preach not to gather.

Again we tend to think institutionally. What do you think of when you hear the word “preacher?” To many a preacher is someone that is ordained by someone else so he or she can go out and preach at churches and the like. However, the word “preach” simply means to proclaim and a preacher in the context of Christianity is simply someone that proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ. Not everyone will go out and preach on street corners or in churches from a pulpit. Some will preach in their own god-given way even if it is just to live a live consistent with God’s way and therefore bringing glory to God from the light that shines in us.

You need to break out of the four walls of the building that you call church and realize that you are the church. You need to stop obsessing over things that in the end really do not matter, namely your religion and traditions. What really matters is the will of God and the will of God concerning the earth is that people would be saved. We must go out there beyond the walls of the building and meet the people where they are.

I am not suggesting that we all go to the street corners with a blow horn and begin “preaching” the gospel. Nor am I suggesting that we should all get ordained so that we could preach in the churches. It’s interesting that preaching to the early Christian was something that took place outside of the church and was directed to those who are outside of the church. However, today we think of preaching in terms of being inside the church directed at those in attendance. Look how far we have gone from the truth!

The Light

Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV) -- {14} “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. {15} Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. {16} Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

If you are truly a disciple of Jesus Christ then you have the light of God in you since Jesus was talking to his disciples in the previous verse of scripture. A disciple of Jesus Christ knows the truth (John 8:31-32). A disciple of Jesus Christ is what people will come into contact with in order to be saved. Therefore, it is imperative that the Disciples of Christ go out among the people to make them disciples as well. The disciples of Jesus Christ should not go out to gather people to bring back to headquarters as is the mindset of the religious community.

The Priority

What is the priority here? Where are you going and what are you trying to accomplish? Some of you want to progress on your jobs, be able to purchase a mansion one day, get a raise, or whatever. Do you remember what Jesus said?

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) -- {33} But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

There is nothing wrong with desiring a new car, new house, new higher paying job, success in a business venture, etc. However, the problem is the focus and therefore the priority. Consider something else that Jesus said that would directly affect what you seek first.

Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV) -- {19} “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; {20} but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. {21} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

What you hold to be treasure is where your heart will be. In other words, those things that you deem as important are the things that you will put over those things that are less important in regards to priority. If the kingdom of God is not as important as riches and glory then guess what? You are going to pursue riches and glory more than the kingdom of God.

Therefore, we have to purpose to make God and his kingdom the priority in our lives.

You Make A Difference

You are a mighty person of God because the Spirit of God dwells in you. You have the ability to touch the world and influence millions of people with the word of God. How can one person affect millions? Think about the person that led Billy Graham to Christ. Think of the person that led Martin Luther King to Christ. You may not directly affect millions, but the influence that you have on a few or even many could result in multitudes being influenced.

You can make a difference, but the only way that you will is if you free yourself from the things that are holding you back, namely religion. What have you done in the last year that was dedicated to promoting the Christian faith? What did you do during the last five years that was dedicated to making disciples of all nations so to speak? Where you busy being busy with religion and community. Now don’t get me wrong. Community activity is important, but as good as it is it is not the objective of Christianity. Let’s truly seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness in what we do.

The People Need You

The people around you that are lost need you. The co-workers on your job that are searching for answers need you. The people in this neighborhood who don’t know the way need you. Christians have something that the world needs and that is a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. There are people out there who are dying and don’t know Jesus Christ. There are people who are struggling and don’t know that God loves them. There are people who have no hope in life and some are even contemplating suicide

These people out there need us, but we are busy having church in here. Those people out there need Jesus and yet we are in here having services. What is wrong with us? We have left our first love. We have left the calling of the church. We forgot that we are to make disciples of all nations and instead are trying to persuade the sinner to come to a Christian fellowship to be saved.

Final Remarks

Repent and go back to the first love. By that I mean turn over a new leaf and pursue those things that really matter.

We want people to come to our services, but it’s not about that.
We want people to pay tithes and offerings, but it’s not about that.
We want people to come to our programs, but it’s not about that.
We want people to donate to our great causes, but it’s not about that.
We want to observer age old traditions, but it’s not about that.

It’s not about who’s the pastor, deacon, bishop, or trustee. It’s not about how many members you have. It’s not about the clothes you have on, the car you drive, the house you live in, or the number of degrees you have or don’t have. It’s about Jesus Christ and him crucified and people knowing that and believing in him.

We must repent of our religious ways so that we could be free and those who are lost could be free. People don’t need to be bound by sin and then bound up by the church to follow a plethora of rules and regulations in order to be approved by God (so they say or imply). Repent of church and pursue grace. Forsake man to pursue the Lord. Stop doing it the same old way and just follow the Lord.

If God goes right then why would you continue on straight path just because that is the path that you have always been on? If God goes up then why would you stay on the ground just because you have been on the ground for so many years? Follow God. A disciple of Jesus Christ follows Jesus Christ and not religion or his pastor. A disciple of Jesus Christ strives to please the Lord not men. So why should we bind people with our religion and traditions when we could free them with the gospel of Jesus Christ and in the process free ourselves first?

God is calling the world to him and we should be active in doing our part to take part in the will of God. It’s not all about the religious stuff that we have created for years. It’s simply about Jesus Christ and people putting their faith in him. That’s what it is about. Amen.