The Church: The most diverse organization in the history of the world

The Church, founded by Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago, is indeed the most diverse organization in the history of the world, and at the same time, the most cohesive and tightly knit together.  When Jesus sent his disciples out into the world to share the Good News of his death and resurrection, he sent them to peoples and lands without regard for the race, ethnicity, class, or gender of their audience.  As the Church became established and grew, it soon encompassed a vast array of people who, until their commitment to Christ, would have believed that they had little in common. 

While it is true that the people who comprise the Church have not themselves always been immune to the temptation to sin by treating fellow believers as "other", the spiritual bond of union with Christ that binds the Church together is stronger than any other familial bond, let alone the various other bonds that people enter into willingly.  Those who are indeed part of the universal body of Christ, who have been washed clean by the blood of the lamb, share one characteristic that transcends human frailty and the human propensity to squabble or divide: Each and every Christian is a sinner saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Unity on that basis cannot be destroyed by the failures of the people who have been called by God out of the darkness and into the light, for it is maintained not by our power, but by the power of God.

Perhaps the vast majority of your experience with church has involved people who look, speak, and think as you do.  Perhaps you've been lulled into thinking that the Church (universal) is a mirror image of the local church to which you belong.  If that is the case, you're not seeing the whole picture.  The Church, universal, is incredibly diverse in virtually every category, much of it very different, perhaps uncomfortably so, on the outside, from what you may have experienced.  And yet, at the same time, that universal Church is bound together by one singular and all-encompassing commonality: Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord of each and every one of his adopted brothers and sisters.

Sermon Video: Make the most of every opportunity for God - Colossians 4:2-6

Before his final greetings, Paul urges one last course of action in his letter to the church at Colossae: prayer.  The particular focus of the prayer that Paul urges upon God's people is the opportunity for a clear presentation of the Gospel.  Paul emphasizes the need for God to "open doors" for the Gospel and reminds the Church that we need to make the most of every opportunity to share the Good News and also ensure that our conversations are always "full of grace".

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Upcoming Seminar: What Every Christian Should Know About - Church History

What Every Christian Should Know About:

Church History

A three-part educational discourse created by Pastor Randy Powell

At First Baptist Church of Franklin

1041 Liberty St.  Franklin

6:00-8:00 PM

Sunday October 14^th, 21^st, and 28^th

Will include segments on: The Early Church, Early Heresies regarding the person of Christ, The Ecumenical Councils, The Great Schism, Monasticism, St. Augustine, The Crusades, the battle for supremacy between Popes and Emperors, The Reformation, The 30 Years War, The Modern Missions Movement, and the status of the Church in the world today.

This event is free and open to the public, no reservations necessary, and will include time for Q&A

For more information, please call 432-8061

Sermon Video: Our Obligation to family and in the workplace - Colossians 3:18-4:1

Having written concerning our obligations to the God who made us and redeemed us, Paul also expresses our obligations within our family structures (wives, husbands, children, parents) and within society as a whole focusing on the slave/master relationship (not of course equivalent to employee/employer, but with principles that can be applied to that modern relationship).  In each case, Paul emphasizes that how we act and interact in our relationships is a form of submission to the will of God, thus if we obey the Word of God in these areas we will do what is fitting/pleasing to the Lord.  There is also an emphasis on the need to be upright in our relationships at all times, not just when it is noticeable, knowing that God will later judge our actions.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

The upcoming election is NOT a referendum on Christianity

"This November 6 election is very much a referendum on not only me, it's a referendum on your religion, it's a referendum on free speech and the First Amendment. It's a referendum on so much," - President Donald Trump, speaking to an invited group of pastors and Christian leaders.

"You have to hopefully get out and get people to support us," Trump said. "If you don't, that will be the beginning of ending everything that you've gotten."

Trump warns evangelicals of 'violence' if GOP loses in the midterms - CNN

Here's the thing: No election will ever be a referendum on the Christian faith because no amount of earthly power (or lack thereof) has anything to do with the truth and power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  "Christian" kingdoms/countries/leaders could rule the world and it wouldn't make the claims of Christianity any more/less true, Christians could be a persecuted minority, bereft of power as they were before the conversion of Constantine in AD 312, and the truth of the Gospel would not be affected one iota by the powerlessness, in this world, of those who believe in what God has done for humanity in Jesus Christ.

Set aside the issue, thorny as it is, of the role of religion in politics in America (I've written about the danger of a cozy relationship may times already), and set aside one's opinion regarding the presidency of Donald Trump, and instead look at what is implied about Christianity, the Church, and the Gospel when a politician, any politician in any type of government, warns the Church that their legitimacy and/or survival depends upon victory in the pursuit of power in this world.  How weak, how fragile, how vulnerable, must Christianity be in the view of those who agree that the future of the entire religion hinges upon such a transitory and temporary allotment of earthly power?

There are major theological problems with viewing the success or failure of Christianity in political terms, not the least of which is the amazingly egocentric view that sees American Christianity as the harbinger of the health of the worldwide Church of Jesus Christ.  Should Christianity in America crumble and become a sad shell of what it once was, it would not call into question the truth of the Gospel or the power of God, for there are no political boundaries in the kingdom of God, if one portion of his Church struggles to fulfill its role in this world, for whatever reason, God will raise up another to take its place.  We have seen this phenomenon in action in our lifetimes, as the Church has lost adherents in Europe, and to a lesser extent in America, the Church has grown by leaps and bounds in Africa and Asia.  If the "center" of worldwide Christianity shifts from the West to the South and East, is that any concern of ours?  "Thy will be done," is something we've been taught to pray, do we really mean it, or are we adding silently, "as long as your will lines up with my preferences?"

Along similar lines, even if Christianity in America loses all semblance of political power, becomes a pariah in this culture, and perhaps even persecuted, who is to say that the Church itself will be unhealthier as a result?  Who is to say that the will of God is not for the people of God to experience hardship instead of generations of plenty?  Much of this false equivalence can be tied to the rise of the Prosperity Gospel, a false perversion of Christ's Gospel of servant-hood, but not all.  The bulk of Christianity in America deserves to shoulder a portion of the blame for our willingness to view success and failure through the eyes of man instead of the Word of God.  Perhaps we need a reminder of what the Word says regarding the power of the Gospel...

Matthew 16:18 New International Version (NIV)

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Romans 1:16 New International Version (NIV)

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Philippians 2:10-11 New International Version (NIV)

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

1 John 5:4-5 New International Version (NIV)

4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Revelation 21:6-7 New International Version (NIV)

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

Is more needed?  Are we going to accept the testimony of the Word of God and stop depending upon the power of man?  If you are a Christian, do you really believe in the final victory of God through Jesus Christ over everything?  Is the Lord your shepherd?  Are you allowing him to lead you to quiet waters and green pastures, or has your devotion been split, do you follow the lead of another?

It doesn't matter which politician or political party we, as Christians and as a Church, choose to put our trust in, it doesn't matter what he/she/they advocate and stand for, if that allegiance receives our hope and trust, instead of the unalterable Word of God, instead of promises from God himself, we have become fools.  No election, in any country, in any year, no political power struggle, no control of earthly power, has anything to do with the validity of the Gospel.  Either it is the power of God to save the souls of mankind, and it will be victorious according to the Will of God, and for the glory of God, or it isn't, that's not something that hinges in any way upon a ballot box.