What is Church
Pastor J. R. Wilhite, author
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Most people have a big misconception of what church is, some think it is a
building. Others think it is where believers meet. Others think it is
where 2 or more are gathered. And the list goes on.
Where 2 or more are gathered Jesus referred to that He would be there.
Never did He say that was church, but it is closer to being true than the
others. A building does not make a church. A denomination (means divided)
does not make a church. It is not where you meet, although that is close, it is not
totally true.
Let us find out together what church is;
Matthew 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God.
Remember in our study on Christ, Christ is a Greek word, which in English
means "The Anointed One"
(Luke 4:18, Is 10:27) .
Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou,
Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but
my Father which is in heaven.
Jesus told Peter here that he did not understand or come to know the
Christ (The Anointed One) by mental knowledge, or being there with Jesus.
It was revealed (a revelation) to him by God; so Peter had a revelation in
his spirit.
Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art a piece of the rock (Peter( Petros)), and upon this
rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it.
Here is where Jesus named Simon as Peter and in Greek the word is Petros;
Transliterated: Petros
Pronounced: pet'-ros
a primary word; a (piece of) rock (larger than
3037 GSN); as a name, Petrus, an apostle:
KJV--Peter, rock. Compare 2786 GSN.
As you notice it is a piece of the rock. Not the rock. Jesus is the
cornerstone, but the rock is revelation knowledge from God via the spirit
of who Jesus is as the Christ and Son of God.
Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art a piece of the rock (Peter( Petros)), and upon this
rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. Now the Greek word for rock here is petra; Strong's
Number: 4073-GSN
Pronounced: pet'-ra
feminine of the same as 4074 GSN; a (mass of)
rock (literally or figuratively): KJV--rock.
So what is the rock (petra) Jesus is referring to? It is not Peter,
because Peter is a piece of the rock. Jesus said, "upon this rock". Well,
He was just talking about the revelation Peter had. So the church is built
upon the revealed (revelation) knowledge from God of Jesus as the Christ
and true Son of God. . Jesus translated is salvation. So if or of Jesus you have salvation,
and when you are of Christ you are of the Spirit of God, in, on and through you. The Son
of God refers to our inheritance in God's kingdom.
So we are the church as far as the revealed knowledge goes, but we are not
the church. The church is when we are connected to God through he spirit,
and operating in the revealed knowledge of Christ.
If you have any problems with this, read the following verses;
John 14:26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you
from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the
Father, he shall testify of me:
1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth
in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing
teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it
hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
So now you have three verses, two of which Jesus said directly about who
was to teach us. We learn from and through the spirit. Yes, God uses man
to teach us via the spirit. But, that can be dangerous if you can not
discern spirits. If you do not know which spirit is using the man who is
teaching, then it could be of the other side. That is why God wants us to
learn directly. Of course this means having the right relationship with
Him to be able to do so.
How do we have that relationship? By prayer (constantly), His word (Bible)
on a daily basis, and the most important thing is listening (SHUT UP and
be quiet).
How do we know we are saved?
Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that
we are the children of God:
How do we know if the spirit we are hearing is the right spirit?
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether
they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the
world.
1 John 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1 John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist,
whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in
the world.
If you test the spirit and it is of God, and you are hearing, then be
still and learn. This makes you a part of the church or as Jesus said
Petros (Peter).
So why attend church, well, first to share what God is doing in your life.
Church is to edify, build up and testify about the wonders of God in our
life. It is also to learn; Yes, that is why it is so important to be in
the right church. If you talk to God and He tells you to attend xyz
church, then it is because He has a reason for you to be there. Most
likely it is to grow and be built up and edify each other.
Also we are to tithe to the store house. The store house is where the meat
is, so it is where you are fed. And I do not mean eye droppers, or milk,
but real meat. If you seek God and get His guidance, then you will go
to the right place. But, remember it is not the place, or the building,
but where pieces of the rock are gathered that makes it church.
One last thing if you are tithing at your place of worship, also give, and
give abundantly to the one who is used to feed you the most. Because if
they are able to be used to feed you, then they will know what to do with
your seed and gifts. This also let's them know you are being fed.
You see a Pastor can not always tell if everyone is being fed or at least
if they are receiving the meat.
If they receive a gift and it is for the meat they received, then this
helps them. So give, to those who are used to feed you. When you go to a
restaurant, do you ever tip people there? Well, how much more are you
receiving from God's man or woman.
Sherrye, Jesse, Jane, etc. of H.O.M.E. are very good examples of just what
I shared with you, and they are growing not just in the spirit, but they
have family members that are growing and their income is growing.
I pray you become a part of the church.
Strong's Number: 4074-GSN
Transliterated: petra
Which as you can see is the rock.
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