Great Church

Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, 21 July 2013

 

Reasons why we are part of a Great Church

 

Ephesians 3:8  To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

Eph 3:9  and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;

Eph 3:10  to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,

Eph 3:11  according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Eph 3:12  in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

REASONS why we are part of a Great Church:1.      Jesus is building His Great Church and when He does something He does it well!

Mar 7:37  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, 'He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.'

 2.      We have been given grace to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ

Apostle Paul prayed for the saints to see those riches invested by God in their lives and to know the power of God in them – the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Read Ephesians 1:16-21 for the full Apostolic Prayer.

 3.      We are called to make all see the fellowship of the mystery hidden in God by His Spirit

By His Spirit He reveals the mysteries that angels and saints of the past desired to look into… things too deep and things too high that the Father has the knowledge of…

Study 1 Corinthians 2:10 for more.

 4.      The Church represents Christ Who is the full creative power of God on the earth.

John 1 tells us that everything was made through the Word of God. Hebrews explains that the worlds are framed by the Word of God. When the Word of God is made flesh through a many membered body of believers, the creative power is limitless. It is great to be part of a Church that Jesus builds and take on projects with God’s backing.

 5.      The Church Jesus builds reveals the manifold wisdom of God to the spiritual realm over any territory.

The Spirit of Wisdom and understanding is necessary in a Great Church. Baptism of the Holy Spirit should be every believer’s portion, the book of Acts can only continue in a Church where the Holy Spirit is received in fullness.

 6.      The Church is a revelation of God’s Eternal Purpose which He accomplished through Christ.

We are part of the Eternal Church, we preach the Eternal Gospel of the Kingdom of God. The Church is not an afterthought, but God’s original plan. The Great Church that Jesus Builds is the Bride that the Father has prepared for the Son.

 7.      Through the veil that is His flesh, the Church, we have boldness and access to God’s presence through faith in Jesus’ name

There are two passages in the Book of Hebrews that you will probably hear over and over again in this move of God. The reformation that Jesus started as our eternal High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, by the power of an endless life is sustained from generation to generation because of the following facts:

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

Heb 4:15  For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 10:16  'THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR HEARTS, AND IN THEIR MINDS I WILL WRITE THEM,'

Heb 10:17  then He adds, 'THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.'

Heb 10:18  Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.

Heb 10:19  Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,

Heb 10:20  by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,

Heb 10:21  and having a High Priest over the house of God,

Heb 10:22  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,

Heb 10:25  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Church  the “Ecclesia”

One could look at the book from an apostolic perspective. Consider the meaning of Ecclesia.

From the New King James Version commentary we learn that the Hebrew title of the book is “Qoheleth” that comes from the word “qahal” “to assemble”. So the preacher is the one who addresses the Assembly. In the New Covenant undersatnding this would mean church. The Latin Ecclesiastes means “speaker before an assembly”.

It is clear that we are to learn from this book that God chooese the seeming foolishness of preaching to astound the wise. For the first few chapters one feels that the Preacher is just being skeptical and then the truth hits home in a way that makes one reflecton one’s life and ways in the sight of God and His ways. The conclusion of it all brings one to a decision, just like a preacher does and the altar call is to fear God and keep His commandments.

Caesar's Ecclesia

In apostle Paul’s analogy of Church as the “called out ones” we see a relfection of Caesar’s inner council of trusted advisors.

Mark Frank writes:

“The word church was not religious; it was a political term
Caesar needed a senate (cabinet/ecclesia) to spread his message
Jesus employed the same structure (concept) by choosing His Cabinet
The duty of the Cabinet was to get the mind of their Lord and make it legislation
Caesar would send a governor (Pilate) to a certain area and the governor would Demonstrate the mind of Caesar and make it policy (law) in the territory
Jesus also sent a Governor (Holy Spirit-Paracletes) to govern the territory
He would bring the mind of God in a territory and make it policy (e.g. Matt. 5 &6)
So that the Kingdom of God can (could) surface in that territory”

 

Apostle Andre Pelser writes in his book entitled “God’s Genius: Apostolic Reformational Theology”:

Julius Caesar used to have a group of 'called-out' ones, or elect group of men, whom he named his ecclesia. He explained his vision to enlarge the Roman Empire to them and they put their heads together to make those visions reality.  For instance, if he said, “It would be amazing if we could link all the cities in our empire to improve trade relations and speed up the army patrols,” they would design roads and order workers to do the construction. The ecclesia had access to the genius of Caesar and had to give expression to his thoughts.

The Church is the ecclesia of God. We have access to the mind of Christ.”

 

Ekklesia G1577

Thayer Definition:

1) a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly

1a) an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating

1b) the assembly of the Israelites

1c) any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously

1d) in a Christian sense

1d1) an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting

1d2) a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake

1d3) those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body

1d4) the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth

1d5) the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven

Part of Speech: noun feminine

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564

ek G1537

Thayer Definition:

1)      out of, from, by, away from

G2564

καλε´ω

kaleo

Thayer Definition:

1) to call

1a) to call aloud, utter in a loud voice

1b) to invite

2) to call, i.e. to name, by name

2a) to give a name to

2a1) to receive the name of, receive as a name

2a2) to give some name to one, call his name

2b) to be called, i.e. to bear a name or title (among men)

2c) to salute one by name

Part of Speech: verb

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: akin to the base of G2753 – to incite

To Summarize:

Let’s realize that we are called out ones, God’s inner council of Trusted advisors that have understood His will for our territory and implement it.

We are part of the a Great Church that Jesus Builds because

we serve a Great King, Jesus Christ who reveals His

unsearchable riches in the saints;

with whom we  have fellowship in the mysteries of God;

as we operate in Jesus’ Creative Power;

the Church reveals God’s wisdom to principalities and powers;

and God accomplishes His eternal Purpose through us;

while we continually have access to God’s Presence through the veil that is His Flesh, the local manifestation of Jesus Christ’s Body on earth.