September 15, 2010
-
Four Signs for the Church By Pastor Samachen
Acts 9:31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
The churches were at peace. That is the ideal church condition. Who is the church? We are. Each one of us is a church. When we believe in the Word and walk according to the Word of God, our bodies are Temples of God. (no that does not mean we forsake the assembling of the bretheren) but we must walk realizing that we are temples of the Living God.
Four signs for the Church
1. PEACE – if there is no peace there is no church. John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. Jesus gives us the peace, we don’t need more than that, we need HIS PEACE. That peace is in our hearts. When we walk with Christ then we have peace. Peace in the believer is what sets the Church apart, no matter the problem the Church cannot be shaken if we walk in the peace of Christ. This does not mean that our church will have no problems, but it does mean that our problems will not shake the foundations of the Church.
There are more people found without peace, and that shows up in our lives and our families. We can detect those who do not have peace for they have no joy and their faces show their lack of peace. Jesus gave us HIS PEACE. There is a difference between the peace of the Old Testament and the peace of the New Testament. Old Testament peace (Shalom) had more to do with physical things, they could lose their peace, for if something was taken away they lost their peace. It was dependent on things. When Elijah came to the widow she gave him the cake and had oil and flour provided. In the New Testament we receive Jesus’ peace – MY PEACE. In the New Testament, we are a Child of God. When we trust in the Lord we will not be shaken in the midst of our problem. No matter how many things come against us, we have peace in Christ Jesus.
A tsunami can come and destroy all things, but no matter the intensity of the problem we still have peace IN CHRIST.
In peace shall I rest. The church needs peace and we are the church.
We want to make peace and not quench or destroy another’s peace. Don’t do things to destroy your pastor’s, your wife’s, your husbands, other believer’s peace. We are part of one body, and we want that body to exhibit the peace of Christ. There is even peace in death because of the hope we have in Christ Jesus.
Joy is even more than an abundance of wine and grain. We find joy in being a Child of God. Physical wine can fail but spiritual wine never fails.
God wants peace for us.
2. EDIFIED – We need to be a spiritually growing church. The church should grow spiritually, not just be a place where people come, sit through a service, go home and do the same things. We should be continually growing spiritually. Our life and faith should grow in Christ.
3. FEAR OF THE LORD
4. COMFORT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The church needs all four of these for spiritual growth
1. LOVE: 1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
When God speaks His words grow in our hearts, and as we grow in Him we should have love. If there is love the Church will grow. Since our bodies are temples of the Lord, since we are the Church – we too need love inside of us. Love for Jesus and love for others.
2. TONGUES: 1 Corinthians 14:5 I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
Tongues with interpretation edifies the church. We grow in the Lord when we pray in the Spirit. We see new visions, burdens are removed and we are filled with joy.
We need love, speaking and tongues. When we are speaking in tongues it is not to other men, but rather speaking to God.
An Indonesian church of 60,000 spoke in tongues, and when newcomers came into that church all got healed. Speaking in tongues can help reveal what is wrong inside of you and forces against you are not destroyed.
You receive deliverance through speaking in tongues. Pastor Samachen’s wife told him that even when he is asleep he is speaking in tongues.
Speak in tongues when you are claiming new territory, that wherever you set your feet is the Lord’s and is blessed. No enemy force can touch you.
Speaking in tongues can help you enter a place and clearly see what the atmosphere is like. Are people receiving the Lord in their hearts?
Don’t trust what the situation tells you, trust what Jesus tells you.
3. PROPHESY: 1 Corinthians 14:3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
The Church grows when it listens to God’s voice. Biblical words of prophesy lift you up.
4. GOOD CONVERSATION – Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
No bad talking should be in evidence in the church, either in the public or private lives of the people. When you are on the phone or in person or by email or text messages, only good conversation – speaking peace, spirituality, love, tongues, prophesy. Do not say bad things, but say things that edify and bless people.
Jesus is with us and God blesses us. When we come to church come prepared, be speaking in tongues and speaking God’s Word, talking about Jesus, so that when you walk into the church you are already prepared to worship Jesus.
