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SCRIPTURE – 1 COR 2:4-6                                                                                                                                                   OCTOBER, 2024

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom,
but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God

SUBJECT – THE GOOD FOR NOTHING CHURCH!!

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The message for this month, is one that will cause you to take a close, hard look, at just what you believe the mission of the Church is supposed to be.

Clearly, if you ask anyone that names the name of Christ, talking about Christians, they will tell you that it is here to spread the 'Good News' of the Gospel. And thus, bring man back to God!!

Now, most people would tend to agree with this assessment, in that, if you take a look at the 'Great Commission', which tells the disciples to 'Go in to all the world, and preach the Gospel, then, as far as they are concerned, they are doing just that.

In just about every part of the world, you can find, if not large groups of people proclaiming their faith in God, through Jesus Christ, down to small pockets of individuals in out of the way places, calling on that Name as well. And sometimes, it is at the risk of their own lives.

What would make those people risk their lives for the end-goal of the Gospel???

That is what this message is going to explain.

From the offset, most churches are following that commission to the letter. They are helping to not only spread the Gospel, they are, in many instances meeting the needs of the people in their immediate neighborhoods, and even beyond. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, providing shelter for the homeless, and in some extreme cases, providing some financial support.

So why, you might ask, am I talking about a church being deemed, 'good for nothing??'

Well, in the overall scheme of things, what these churches are doing, is nothing more than most other institutions, government, private, and religious are set up to do. And, in a lot of instances, they are doing a better job at it.

So, in an instance like this, people are not going to be inclined to attend a church, for any other reason than to have their immediate needs met.

A lot will steer clear of a church, for the simple fact that they don't want to possibly be bothered with someone trying to preach to them while they are there.

Contrast that with what happened when Jesus was here, and the overwhelming number of people that followed Him from place to place. Some of them were so eager to hear Him, that many of them, nearly starved listening to every word that He said.

Eating was secondary to hearing what He had to say.

So, what was the difference between what Jesus did back then, and what most Churches today are doing??

Before I answer that, let's look at the beginning of the Church as recorded in the book of Acts chapters 2-3.

What you will find is that when the first sermon was preached on the day of Pentecost, people had come from all over the city to see what was going on. And after they heard the message, preached by Peter, about 3,000 souls were saved that day [Acts 2:41].

Now, back to the question I put to you above. What made the difference???

Well, it wasn't the presence of Jesus Christ, as it had been when the people followed Him, Because after He left, the disciples, had a gathering of just about as many people [relatively speaking].

So, there had to be some other reason that made His, and the disciples' messages draw so many people.

They are all missing something!!!

That something, is the reason many churches today, are effectively good-for-nothing, other than meeting the immediate needs of the people that come in their doors.

That something, is the One Thing that, as it were, separates the Church far apart from all other institutions. It is what is addressed in our subject scripture. It is the demonstration of the Power of God!!!

It is the Holy Ghost/Spirit!!!

The Holy Ghost, is the Power of God that enables common ordinary man, to be able to know, see, and do things that, to the ordinary person, are outside the realm of common activity and ability.

One would only have to look at our primeexample, Jesus Christ, to see how the Holy Ghost worked through Him.

From the time He was born, up until the day He was baptized by John, He was essentially, just like any other person of His time.

His mother and father, raised Him and His siblings, to follow the Law, and to be respectful to those in authority.

Unlike His siblings though, He spent a lot of time in the temple/synagogue, learning about God from the priests and other religious leaders.

He had a built-in hunger for the Word of God. That was key to His spiritual growth, even though, He was the Word, wrapped up in the flesh.

Even at that, He was still just a common person. Nothing stood out about Him, that would give anyone a slight inkling, as to who He really was.

Just like today. Most churches are nothing more than buildings that are designated as places that one would go to to worship and hear about God.

There is little difference between them, and other churches, temples, synagogues, mosques and so on.

All are places of worship and learning about God, or some other supernatural deity, that desires the worship of men.

As some would say, 'they are a dime a dozen!!!' No big deal!!! When you have seen one, you have seen them all!!!

When people can't tell the difference between Christianity, and other religions, that is because there is a failure in leadership of the Church.

Jesus said this about what the Church was supposed to be.

Mat 5:13 YE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? IT IS THENCEFORTH GOOD FOR NOTHING, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Mat 5:14 YE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

If you couple that with what [Deuteronomy28:1-14] says about what the condition of those that observe to do ALL, of what God says they should do, then you will see just how far most Churches are missing the mark.

They are essentially there to be a sort of place that people go to get a little encouragement, some food, clothing, or any other thing to meet their basic needs.

When it comes to the more serious matters that are designed to better a person's life, then, they run to the government, or one of the 'new gods [psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists, scientists]', for help.

The idea of the Church having the answers to those needs, never crosses their minds.

Why??

Because, for the most part, they see those that are members of those churches, seeking the same help they are seeking, from those same sources.

If a Christian's faith is in government, and all of its regulations and rules, then, the Church they are a part of, is nowhere near the condition that it should be in. And as Jesus said above in verse 13, 'it is good for nothing but to be trampled under the feet of men.

Some will say, 'It can't be that bad!! At least they are getting people saved!! So it is at least good for that.'

Well, I don't know about that, Because, just exactly what is it that they are telling the people when it comes to getting saved???

Salvation is a free gift!! However, in order to receive it, you have to accept certain conditions. They include making Jesus Christ, Lord of your life, acknowledging His virgin Birth, death burial and Resurrection, and repenting of your sin by turning away from it.

The next thing you need to do is learn all you can about Him. What He likes and what He dislikes, and start adjusting your life accordingly.

As you begin to prove yourself to Him, He will begin to allow you to experience the Power that God has in store for those that He is pleased with.

Without it, you are going to be handicapped in areas that call for His Power to help you gain victory.

Now, the more problems that come against you, where you are Powerless to overcome them, the more likely you are to turn back to that old lifestyle, leaving Christ, because it just isn't working out for you.

This is the condition most Christians findthemselves in, which is why they end up seeking the same solutions as the other people do.

The danger then is, you start getting further and further from Christ until you get to the point where you just forfeit[give up] your salvation, never being able to receive it again!!

Does that sound harsh?? Think I am making it up?? Read this.

Heb 6:4 FOR IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THOSE WHO WERE ONCE ENLIGHTENED, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

Heb 6:6 IF THEY SHALL FALL AWAY, TO RENEW them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

What we have here, is the debunking of what a lot of those churches believe. And that is, once you get saved, that's it!!! You are on your way to Heaven, no matter what!!

This is one of the main reasons God's Power is not being demonstrated in them. They are playing fast and loose with Him, and He isn't having it.

Contrast that with a church that is in-line with Him [Righteous]. His Power is being manifest in the church, and in the lives of those in it.

When those of the other churches see people flocking to those churches, they are quick to say that they are using trickery, to fool the people. That is much the same way the religious leaders and politicians of Jesus' time, reacted to Him.

One thing Christ said about churches like this is, Mat 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Mat 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

With all of this going against them, this is why these churches are essentially no Good. Because even if they lead a person to Christ, they end up causing them to turn around and go back to their old way of living, and as Jesus said to one group, Mat 23:15 Woeunto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

If a church is going to make a person more wicked, than they were before they joined it, then that church, in the eyes of God, is something that He views as an enemy.

The reason being that they are giving the world [unbelievers], a false image of who He is, and what He has done for them.

Therefore, the Holy Spirit, is not present, and without Him, there is no manifestation of God's Power, that would draw men/women in.

Without that Power, they are just another building, housing and institution to take care of the basic needs of the people.