Acts 26
The Church of Jesus Christ!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, August 6.
What is the Church?
It is very important to see how Paul first learned about the church. Listen closely to a specific detail from his conversion story from Acts 26:14-15 (also found in Acts 9:4-5 & Acts 22:7-8), “And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.’”
Did you hear Jesus’ question to Paul, “Why are you persecuting me?” It’s repeated three times!
This is a significant question because it is Jesus’ witness to what the church is, from His perspective. When Paul persecuted the church and the followers of the Way, Jesus made no distinction between Paul opposing Him personally and opposing the people. Jesus sees His Church as an extension of Himself!
This is illuminating to the mind of God. Is the church just another organization in town or is there something more to the church?
Honestly, many pastors and church goers have forgotten this and have become shop keepers managing spreadsheets of their religious goods and caring more about their storefront appearances and marketing strategies than living incarnational lives! We must return to who we are as the church by each of us returning to our first love!
The Church is the collective Body of Christ on earth; we are the incarnational witnesses of Jesus’ gospel to all peoples; we are a holy (set apart) people declaring a coming kingdom that is not yet of this earth!
Seize the moment and be a healthy functioning member of Jesus’ body on earth! You are called to be so much more than a member of an organization… We are so much more…