because when I preach on the subject of the church, the local church, especially during this series, everything I've preached, I've looked over my notes, past, everything I've preached has been by conviction. I'm convicted and convinced that Jesus died for the church. That's a conviction of mine. Anyone else? I don't know anything about, but I do know about the church. of Jesus Christ. Not a suggestion. It's not a possibility or a probability. It's done. He died on the cross of Calvary to redeem a people for his namesake. Pretty simple. It's conviction. When the transition was made from Jesus after the resurrection and he commissioned the disciples with a great commission. It was for the establishment of local churches. Read Acts chapter 1 verse 8. It'll help you. That's a conviction of mine. Another conviction of mine about the church is the local churches are the visibility of the universal church. We're not the only pebble on the beach. We're not the only age dispensation to be redeemed. Okay? There's people from every age that God has redeemed and called them His namesake, for His namesake rather, and we are the visibility of that universal church. We still carry the Great Commission. It is eternal as far as Earth's being is concerned. I didn't know how to say that. It's by conviction. The church of Jesus Christ is unique, and we'll read the text in just a minute, so don't get excited, is unique in this sense. We are the only professing body of believers that belong to God through redemption in his son, Jesus Christ. Of all religions in the world, we're the only one people that are saved, truly born into the family of God. Not by denomination, I might add. but by conviction. God revealed his son unto me in due time, Paul said. I'm redeemed by the blood of Christ. This is unique, not just for me personally, but to the church. You are in a unique position with God because of the blood of his son, Jesus Christ. What about the rest of the world, pastor? I have no idea, I'm not concerned about it. I'm concerned about evangelizing the rest of the world. I have no burdens for any particular people, etc. It's a worldwide message. I've been all over the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ will save wherever, whenever, however, period. We're unique. We're the only redeemed people in the world. We're the only people that believe in Christ. We're known as Christians from the time of Antioch. until now. Peter even referred to his parishioners as they suffered as Christians, he said. So my personal thinking is, and this is not absolute, is the church, the true church, is a precious jewel with a unique cut to God. And it's for the glory of God. Now the reason I'm saying what I'm saying before I read my text is people have a funny concept of church today. They think it's a building. It's not a building, it's a people. They think going to church is a good habit, it's a good thing to do. Some people have church in their home. They can worship God anywhere. So they start their home study and they worship God. And they may do it. But there is a corporate worship that is a mandate. That's a conviction, by the way. Some people have their own way of worship. Some people have their own church between the husband and the wife. But I find that the church is an organized corporate body with elders, bishops, deacons, Pastors, the corporate body, it's organized. It's structured. It is the pillar and the ground of truth. There's the emphasis. Now why would truth be the emphasis? I want to tell you why. Because I am the way, the truth, and the life. And because no man cometh to the Father but by me. These are the words of Christ. They're convictions to me that no man come to the Father but by Jesus Christ. So any other methodology or mode of, quote, church. Ed and I were talking this morning about why there's a mega church just down the street from us, around the corner. And I'm not faulting that. Why doesn't our church numerically increase, we ask. One of my answers, and this is the only answer, is that people have lost the concept of church. We don't know what it is anymore. We don't even, we invite people to come to church. And I'm not saying not to, by the way. We don't have any concept of what the real church really is. before God. That's why you pick and choose which Sunday you'll be here, what service you'll be in, when and where and how. And if nothing else comes up, I may even go to 610 East Lake Drive, maybe, and be with the saints of God. Maybe, if nothing better comes up, you know, Grandpa didn't have a birthday and he's been dead for years, you know. That was a little sarcastic, wasn't it? I'm in it, though. How could we misconceive such a vital truth in the Word of God? Everybody wants to know about prophecy, and prophecy is good. Everybody wants to know about getting healed, or prosperity, and etc., etc. They want to know about the blessings of God, the favor of God. The primary concern of every true believer ought to be the church of Jesus Christ. It's his concern. When he returns, who does he remove from this planet? The church. And only the church, by the way. Not the church's daughters and sons are unsaved. He removes the redeemed. Who was it that he wrote his last address to in the book of Revelation? The church. The seven churches of Asia Minor. God give me the perspective that you have for the church. That Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. That he might sanctify it with the washing of the water, with the word for his glory, for his honor. I'm preaching to the choir, today probably. But I pray you don't have such a carnal perspective of what the church really is and because I'm going to involve you in the message. Turn me please to the book of Ephesians chapter two. I'm not going to be mean, I'm not going to be nasty, but I am going to be honest. And I pray that I speak the truth in love. Love for God and love for my neighbor and love for the truth. You can't love one without the other. Look at Ephesians 2, verses 14, and we'll read down through verse 16. For he is our peace, who hath made both one. Now in the context, let me give it to you real quick. We're talking about Jews and Gentiles. Okay? The barrier between the Gentile and God has been severed. that now we can be brought and be reconciled unto God. So we're both one. Hath broken down the middle wall partitioned between us, there you go, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make himself of twain one new man, one new man, so making peace, and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. Father in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, of course. Lord, we bow before thee in awe and wonder, and your grace and your mercy has allowed us to come boldly to the throne. We need you, God. We need you to help us, enlighten us, instruct us from your word that's given to us by the inspiration of you. Lord, it's profitable for our doctrine, for our reproof, for a correction, instructions. It will be thoroughly furnished and do all good works according to Paul. So we ask you, Father, for your help this morning. Take this book, take this word like a knife and cut down in the crevices of my heart. Sever that which is evil and wicked and contrary to your word. Fill me, oh God, with your spirit. May your word go forth unhindered, unhaltered, that it may go forth straight and like an arrow for a target. May I preach with a purpose, glorifying thee and the purpose of signifying to your people your perspectives of who we are. God help me, in Jesus' name, amen. Believe it or not, there's an urgency of the need of the local church in your life. That you be able to be instructed, be able to develop a passion for Christ and his followers. It is loving God. God is meant to reconcile us as well as with himself, as well as with one another. And here's where we're going with this. That we are reconciled not only to God through the blood of Jesus Christ, but through that same redemption, we're reconciled one into another. We are different. We are different people. We come from different backgrounds. We think differently. We live differently. We act differently. And there's no vice involved in that as such. But when it comes to the faith, there's one faith that's been delivered unto the saints, according to Jude. One. Got that? So if we are all saved by the grace of God and through the blood of Christ, God meant for us to be reconciled one unto another. Therefore, it's very difficult for a believer to have ought against another believer in the local church. It's hard. You ever get mad at anybody here at the church besides me? It's okay. You'll get over it or die with it, one. Why? Because God has ordained that we would be reconciled together. It's gonna be okay. So allow me to express to you, and I borrow some of this, of course, express to you what we mean when we speak of a Christian. A Christian. Somebody ask you that question, could you answer it? What is a Christian? He's a believer. In who? That's Old Testament teaching, by the way. What is a Christian? Have you not been with Christ, they asked the disciples? Peter, you've been with him. A Christian is someone who first and foremost has been forgiven of his sins and reconciled to God, to the Father through Jesus Christ. That happens when you, as a believer, Christian, repented of your sins and put your faith in the perfect one, the substitutionary death and resurrection of Christ, the Son of God. Therefore, you know that if you were to die and stand before God, that he should never allow you into heaven on your own. You know that, don't you? So the old cliche, if you stood at the gate, and St. Peter was the gatekeeper, I guess, in your cliche, he's the gatekeeper, and he says, why should I let you in? You'd say, well, by the blood of Christ. No, the answer is you shouldn't. I don't deserve to even be at the gate, much less to enter in. There's the answer. That's how sinful you are. You merit no entrance into heaven on your own, none. I don't care if you're baptized, pastorized, horogenized and all the other I's, it don't count. The only way to enter into heaven is through the blood of Jesus Christ and his mercy and grace. Now his blood was shed on the cross of Calvary and many unfortunately have not experienced the grace of God. Many choose not to experience the grace of God. You know that? Many decide they like it like it is. They like what they are. After all, they got their makeup on, their earrings in. They shine when they're all cleaned up. But sin has marred you. Therefore, we know that the answer is by the blood of Jesus Christ. A Christian, number one, is reconciled to God through Christ. And secondly, let me elaborate on the reconciled to God's people. In Matthew 22, Jesus said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy soul, and all thy mind. That's the first great commandment. And the second is likened to it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. So it's not either or. Now here's where you get involved. You're not God. Well, you've got that down pat, don't you? But you are the neighbor. Right? Right? I'm staying until you write it. What a crowd. I worked all week for this. Is anybody got anywhere I could be? Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Now watch what I'm going to do here. I'm not going to turn to all these scriptures, but Christians are, according to our text in Ephesians 2, fellow, this is a word, fellow citizens. Wait. We're members of the household of God. Wait. We've been joined together with Christ in one holy temple. Got this? Now, what am I saying? That we are all saved the same way. We're all part of the redeemed, or a portion of the redeemed. Every single one of us that are saved. So it brings us into a familial relationship with God. Now get this down pat. You don't love anybody in this world any more than you love your family. Regardless of your family, regardless. You would give and have, you older parents, have given your lives or spent your lives on behalf of your children and their well-being, okay? And now you're old and can't enjoy, even the grandkids maybe. I'm teasing about that. I love your grandchildren, by the way. I do. I love seeing them come. And we'll leave it right there. But God has brought us into a familial relationship. Now listen to what I'm going to do for you. In Ephesians 1 and verse 5, we find out, having been predestinated unto the adoption of children. We are the adopted children of God. You hear this? Now along with that, and not to get off on a rabbit trail and start another session, Along with that, when we adopted our son as an infant, he had no choice. How about that? He was three months old, how much choice do you want him to have? We didn't even have him baptized at that age, or pasteurized or any other eyes. Now hear this, we picked him, he didn't pick us. Now later in life, he might have wished differently, but he didn't. But we picked him. He didn't pick us. We were in control. He wasn't in control. Got that? And he became our son the moment we adopted him. Got that? Legally, technically, you say, well, biologically. You're not biologically a child of God either. How about that, Mr. Biology? But that doesn't make him any less your father. And it doesn't make him any less your savior. It doesn't make you any less part of the family of God. Now, no one can ever hurt you any more than your family or bring any more pleasure to you than your family, right? So therefore, we've got to understand. I've got a younger brother who we think mom and dad found him. Genetically, he didn't act like us. He doesn't think like us. If he's watching this, he knows we found him. I tried to take him back, but I couldn't find the place or the people. Listen to this. Ephesians 2.11, not Ephesians 2.11, that's a lie. It's a misstatement. It's a misquote. It's Hebrews 2.11. For both he that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified are all of one. Did you get this? For which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. You hear all that family stuff? Have you got this? That you're part of the family of God, the church. That each one of you is a child of God by adoption. by adoption through his son, Jesus Christ. So first of all, the church in relationship is a familial relationship. You ever heard a statement about the church, they're like family to me? They have to be, because they are family. I'm not replacing your biological family. I'm bringing you into the kingdom of God in a spiritual manner. This church we are in, having been redeemed, is a spiritual entity. It is not carnal. It is not of flesh and bone, John chapter 1. Or Matthew 16, flesh and blood is not revealed to the son of thee, but my father which is in heaven. This is a spiritual entity. So spiritually speaking, and this counts because, watch this, when you die, that's what's going to matter, your soul. You hear me? Some in profession are going to die as, what would I say, as hypocrites because they claim to be in the church when they're not of the church. Got that? I know God, but I'm not of God. You got this? Okay. I'm really a bledsoe, but I'm not of the Bledsoe clan. How about that? Well, then I'm not really a Bledsoe, am I? You say, well, you ought not be. No, I have a great family. But anyway, great in a lot of ways. But the point being, we're family. Amanda Huffman is my sister in Christ. Brandy, I'll even admit Brandy's a sister in Christ. Charlie's a brother in Christ. You're a brother in Christ, you gentlemen. Sisters in Christ, you're not just people out on the street. We're family. We care by nature of the new birth, one for another, because we love our neighbor. Now hear this, because without this, it excuses you from the physical aspect of being part of the church. I owe it to Sterling to be faithful to him and worship with him. You hear this? Because we're family. We're not like Cain and Abel who worshipped differently. Okay? And that's part of the problem there, was it not? Cain worshipped his way. Abel worshipped his way, God's way. So we're family. You got that. Secondly, let me give you something else. As a Christian, we are a fellowship. Now, let me explain what I mean by fellowship. We're in common ground, okay? We're in fellowship. In fellowship about what? About Jesus Christ, one thing. Is there anybody in here differs with us about the redemption that's only through him? You differ in that? No, we're in fellowship about that. If you differ with that, by the way, you need to meet me later, and I'll introduce you to one that'll bring you into fellowship with God and me. God and me. By the way, you can't be in fellowship with one and not the other. Sorry, I've come with the package. We're in fellowship. Listen to Paul in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 9. God is faithful. He writes, as Dennis has well presented, to the Corinthian church, the church being the redeemed or professing redeemed. by whom you recalled under the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ our Lord." Now what was their fellowship in Jesus Christ that church? Even the boy that was doing wrong at that time was part of it. Listen to the early example we have in Acts chapter 2 about fellowship. They, these are the 3,000 that were saved and baptized by the way. Now saved is the First aspect of the Great Commission, first entity, is evangelism. Baptism is the second entity, that is the implementation or incorporation into the church. They continue daily with one accord, unity, in the temple and breaking bread from house to house to eat their meat with gladness, singles or heart. Continues. So they were in a fellowship. When we take the Lord's table here on the first Sunday of the month, we are symbolizing a number of things, but one, we're symbolizing not only we're in communion or fellowship with God or harmony with God, but we're in harmony with one another. This is why I personally, don't write this down for you to have to do, I personally am very selective about where I participate in communion. Very selective. If I don't know people and I don't know the church and I don't know about this, I don't take it at high school reunions, I don't take it at wedding parties, I don't take it at the hospital, I take it with the local assembly, as biblically depicted. I'm in communion with you. I'm in fellowship with you. So never in the Bible, listen to this, never is 100% word. Never does the New Testament conceive a Christian outside a local church for any prolonged period of time, unless 1 Corinthians 5, he's been put out. We'll talk more about that in just a second. And they said to turn him over to the devil for the destruction of the flesh. So how's this come about? Well, you've got to be united as a member of the body of Christ, which is two things, three things, really. One, I have union with Christ, and that's universal, by the way. That's the righteousness that God gives us through faith. That's union with Christ, or God. I have union with God because of the righteousness of Christ. Do you understand that? Secondly, I have union in the body of Christ, which is the existence of the local church, and righteousness is practiced in and through our daily lives because of the local church. Now I know some of you don't have this conviction. We can look at your attendance records or giving records. I'm not going to, but we could. And probably prove a lot of stuff that I'm not interested in proving. I know I speak by conviction. I have to share my convictions. I've not taught you anything about this church in the Bible that isn't biblical, isn't from God. Hebrews would say it like this. Hold fast the profession of your faith without wavering. He is faithful that promised. Consider one another to provoke unto love and good works, not forsaking the assembling or the congregating of ourselves, ourselves being plural together as the manner of some, and he's talking about apostasies, but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day approaching. Wow. It's one another, one another. So we've been reconciled. We're practicing righteousness through the expressions of the local church. Now let's write about the experiences of accountability. That God didn't give us a pastor, elder, and bishops, and deacons, and their wives, by the way, just for the sake of being structured. Although it is backbone material. No. He gave us pastors, bishops, elders, deacons, deacons' wives to establish accountability. Uh-oh. And you know, and I know, with accountability comes responsibility. You know that, okay? So as brothers and sisters in Christ, as Paul would write to the church at Galatia, if one be overtaken in a fault, restore such a one. Is that what he said? Bear one another's burdens. You see, you can't read the New Testament without one-anothering. One-anothering, one-anothering. And I'm telling you, churches are filled with people that are in sin against the congregation. Why? They couldn't give a flip, and that's Hebrew for nothing, about one another. They make decisions based upon them. You know what I'm saying? If it's not convenient, after all, that's not my conviction. We hear all kinds of stuff. We can have church here. We can watch it on Facebook, etc, etc. And you can, I'm thankful for Facebook, don't misunderstand me. But that's not congregating. Hebrews 13, 7 says to obey them. They have your rule over you. They watch, Hebrews 13, 17. They watch for your souls. Peter said, feed the flock of God. I'm an elder too. Feed the flock of God which are gathered among you. You hear this? Why are we gathered together? For one another. You hear this? For one another. There are people absent this morning. Maybe they're sick. I pray not. But they're not concerned about Kathy and Chris. They're not concerned about Robert and Danita. They're not concerned about others. They got up this morning and didn't like what they had to wear. I don't know. Their socks were too tight. I don't know. I don't know. Just all kinds of foolish stuff that negate the idea of caring about one another. I'm sure I speak on behalf of Dennis, without permission, and Eddie, that there are times when they speak because they're duty-bound. It's not that they feel like it. They may feel sickly, like you do sometimes. They may have a headache, like you do sometimes. Sinuses, etc. They have all the common things that you have, too. But I can probably count on one hand the time that Dennis Phelps has missed his services because of feeling bad. Maybe. Maybe. You see, because it's required of a steward that a man be found what? Faithful. No, that a man feel good about it. If we don't feel good about it, let's don't do it. Let's just, I tell you what, here's a good one. If little Sally gets up today and she's all spitty spatty like little kids are sometimes, let's just stay at the house. I don't wanna deal with this. Hey, stuff her in the trunk and come on. I'm kidding about that, by the way, video. Don't stuff her in the trunk, I'm teasing. But you got to admit, accountability's part of it. That's part of the experience. You see, what these people that don't understand the perspective of the church are missing is the actual sanctification experience. They're not growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ. And that's what Paul is saying in Ephesians 2. For the perfecting of the what? Saints! It's why we do what we do, and why you do what you do, etc. Now let me get to this point. 28, 18 through 20. The only church experience that is valid to God is local church experience. Amen, Pastor. Amen. I have a good experience apart from the local church. It may be good. It's not valid. How about that? One life will soon be passed, trust me. And someone has said only what's done for Christ will last. So let's at least make it valid if we have to spend our energies. You'll admit that the only church ministry that occurs according to Matthew 28 is through the local church. Sorry about all these organizations, huh? They're religious. See, here's where we lose the perspective of the church. Because this group is doing a good job. And they are humanitarian. And that needs to be done, by the way. Not to bypass the church, but it needs to be done. Or this school, et cetera, et cetera. Many people take their kids out of church and put them in a Christian school thinking I don't know what they're thinking. But it's the local church that is to evangelize. It's the local church to assimilate and hang in there It's only through the local church that God has commissioned you to be educated in the things of God. In other words, the local church takes the role of instructing and teaching and admonishing. Now, I want to give you an example. In Acts chapter 2 through chapter 4, I said, oh no, no, no, I'm just going to bring out some things. Number one in Acts chapter 2, There was corporate prayer. You'll find the disciples in Acts chapter 2 in prayer. And a promise was fulfilled. That the Holy Spirit would come. They're waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. Now how did they wait? In prayer. So number one, the corporate body, 120 of them, spent time in prayer. Together. Secondly, There was the preaching of the Word of God. Peter, in Acts chapter 2, began to preach. And what did he preach? He preached from Joel. And he preached the Gospel, how that you follow David, and David is still in the Septuagint, but this Christ that you crucified has risen from the dead. He preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And people, 3,000 in number, were saved, redeemed, The church of God was birthed or brought forth incarnate. Secondly, there was the breaking of the bread. That meant to share the communion with one another. We were glad to fellowship daily together and even to the extreme of going house to house to do so. Breaking the bread. Fourthly, there were baptisms. Okay? I know folks have been baptized in creeks, rivers, and streams, and that's fine if the local church did it. But I also know people have been baptized in rivers, creeks, and streams that the local church had nothing to do with it. How about that? It's not a baptism. It's not a valid baptism. You hear me? They were baptized into the church. Now, if the church doesn't sanctify it or sanction it, then where are you implemented into any local assembly? You're not. It's invalid. Wow. You think people got an idea about that today? Nope. Nope. When I first started preaching out here, I had some questions about it. That's okay. I don't mind the questions. I just mind not having the answers. I was questioned about that. And there's Baptist churches today that don't believe or adhere to what I'm saying. And that's okay if that's them. But I preach by conviction. I'm convinced that baptism identifies you, number one, with Jesus Christ. Number two, with the body of Christ. This body of Christ. So if you're baptized here after receiving Christ as your Savior, you're baptized into this church, you're not up for a vote for membership. So I'll tell you up front, if we're going to baptize you, we're going to sanctify you. If you don't want to be sanctified here, then go somewhere else and be baptized. But be baptized into a church. Fourthly, there was a fulfillment of the promises of God. I'll build my church, Jesus said. The Holy Spirit has come. This is all in Acts two through three. And then there was continual teaching of the word of God. Not entertainment. Not a praise band. We're not gonna jive down. Ed and I went to a church one day and honestly, they got so excited that some of the women who were heavily endowed Had to be held a blanket up in front of them, not to show their shame. That's worship? That's word of God? Hardly, huh? They got more out of that than they did the preaching of the word of God. I'm trying to be nice. Is church membership valid? I was in a church up in Charleston, West Virginia. attended as a guest, and thank God I was a guest only, and they don't take members into their church. I don't guess anybody's worthy. I don't know. They don't take, I'm telling you, this is the condition of some of our churches. They don't take membership. Then who are you accountable to and for? And what are you responsible for? Nobody knows. Just do what you want. I mean, are we winging it? I'm just being suppositional now. But they don't take members. I can take you to the church today. It's a mega church in Charleston, West Virginia. Not a little tiny church out by the road. Is membership biblical? Well, it's unbiblical not to be a member. How about that? Do you know that membership in the church is an assumption in the scriptures? You know what I mean by that? You pick it up and assume it's to be true. because that's the flow, that's the depiction you have. So there's accountability. Did the early church take membership? Yep. How do you know? Well, they kept the books. They had a membership book. The first book only had 120 names in it, right? That was before Peter preached. There's 120 Christians in this prayer meeting waiting for the fulfillment of the promise. 120. Then old Peter went back and preached. Nobody even asked him to. Nobody appointed him guest speaker. Nobody paid him a salary. I mean, he just got up and preached, from what I can understand. Man, did he ever preach. Some of you guys that want to be expository preachers ought to read that over and over and over. He preached. Man, he turned to the book of Joel, and he started with prophecy, and he came all the way through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Oh, God, I'm afraid, they said. You crucified the Son of God, and he's risen from the dead. Oh, if he's risen from the dead, we've had it. Surely he'll bring judgment upon us. I'm paraphrasing stuff. What can we do to be saved? What must we do to be saved was the question. And 3,000 converts were made that day. 3,000. Can you imagine that? Even Billy Graham would be surprised by this. 3,000 people that put their faith in a resurrected Savior. And 3,000 of them were baptized. And 3,000 of them continued steadfastly in the Word of God. There's the church. There's the church. What about the people that really didn't have that conviction, Pastor? I want to tell you about two of them. One was Ananias, and the other was Sapphira. They didn't have it. They weren't saved and lost it. Tim proved this morning, once you're saved, you can't lose it. He didn't, but the Word of God did. You can't give it back. You can't lose it. So they lied to the Holy Ghost. Separately. Individually. Ananias came and he said, you know, we sold some property we want to give to the church. You hypocrite, you. You hypocrite. All these other people giving everything they have and you hold back on God. He never got in the church door. He died. Here she comes in a little bit later not knowing. It's not funny, but it is a little strange, I think. Here she comes wearing her new coat and her hat and earrings, new purse. What's that? Fancy brand designer? Is that the expensive purses? What's that called? Randy, you and Ed and I will talk about this. Which one? Never mind. Thanks for the help. Anyway, here she comes carrying her new purse and her new shoes and all that stuff and, you know, parks her limo out back. And she lied. And she died. She never got in the church. Now, one of the authors says that God, in his grace and mercy, slowed down the growth of the church. Because once word got out that those two characters died at the church door, it scared people. And it would. I want to be honest when I go before God. I want to be clean when I go before God. I don't want to hold back anything if this is what God requires, et cetera. I'm telling you, the church has to feel the anonymous virus today. I'm just telling you. You need to get out from under the covers and look around. We're not really seeing real churches anymore. We're seeing big church buildings and big crowds, et cetera, et cetera. But to qualify and ask a Christian, what is the church? And how is it relevant to me? They couldn't answer. Couldn't answer. I'm telling you, you won't get to heaven without it. Because only the redeemed is going to heaven. I want you to hear this. I'm not talking about the professors in Anastasia. I'm not talking about them. So, they kept a roll. They kept numbers. They practiced church discipline. 1 Corinthians chapter 5. They put this guy out of the church. Now, you can't put a guy out until he's been put in. Later they put him back in. You can't put him in after he's been put out. So obviously membership was an ongoing process there. These original teachings. How about Paul to Timothy? I'm using these as illustrations. When he wrote about the widows in the church. That there were widows and there were widows indeed. In other words, there were those ladies who lost their husbands but had family besides the husband, deceased. Then there were widows indeed who lost their husbands and had no family. Those were widows indeed. And they knew that. They kept account of those things. This is what bodying one another really is through the local church, through the church. It's vital that we understand this. It's vital that we have the conviction concerning the church, and particularly your church. In the early church, they prayed corporately. In the early church, they gave money. By the way, 1 Corinthians 16, they gathered together offerings. Paul wrote back and commended the Macedonian churches for their giving. Oh, amen on that one, pastor. Okay. Coming to a church near you soon. I want to conclude with this thought. In Corinthians, the immoral man, because of lack of repentance, of his sin was to be put out of the church. And to be not just put out, but when we put him out, deliver him unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh. Now what he's saying is this, when you're out of the church, you're in the world. Therefore, you're susceptible to the curse of the world, no longer under the umbrella of protection of the church. So everything that happens to a lost man out there can happen to you if you've been put out. Do you hear that? Now here's a real alternative for you. If you're not in the church, then you're out of the church. If you're out of the church, you're under the curse of the world. And you're at the hands of the wicked one, the devil himself. Now, how do you like them animals? Them being them, those. Grammar was not my favorite. But the point being, you got it? That's how sincere this thing is. And you can't convince Christians of this. I don't go to church anywhere. Well, brother, I hope you come visit with us sometime. Come on. If you don't go to church anywhere, guess what you're under? The world. and the destruction that's in the world. Well, I just think we can worship anywhere. You're not worshiping anywhere, nowhere, at any time with that attitude. Period. We worship all the time, really, individually. We do. We Christians. But there's a time for the corporate body to come together as one and participate in worship. You see, folks, this isn't just about a church. It's about the church. It's not just about faith, Wade. It's about Christianity. It's about real righteousness that's been imputed into your account. It's about real righteousness that's given unto you for sanctification purposes unto, as Tim is teaching, glorification. That's what it's about. That's what it's about. Now, I don't know about you, but I have no greater desire in this world In this world, none have thought about this. I don't want to lie. No greater passion do I have than to be like Jesus. That's it. I don't care what the world thinks. I don't care. I don't care. I care what he thinks. And if when I die, if I'm in Greensboro, I want my body laid right there. for several weeks. No, I'm kidding. I live in a local church. I'll say farewell from the local church. Absent from the body for the saint is to be present with the Lord. So, and by the way, where's Edna? Don't have a celebration of life. Okay, I'm dead. What are you celebrating? The man died. We're going to miss him, some of us, for a while, for a while. Actually, at the funeral, we'll have 8 by 10 glossies, and you can take them home with you. $9.99. No, it's all about Christ. It's not just about being here, it is, but it's all about me and Jesus Christ and the saints of God whom he loved as much as he loves me and gave his life for like he did for me and shed his blood for their sins like he did my sins. So we all have this fellowship in God, in Christ Jesus. Why wouldn't I want to be in the fellowship? That makes me of the fellowship. God help us. to understand this. I'm finished with this series, by the way. And it's always good to renew and refresh for me. We put together more materials on the local church than anything that I can think of historically because it's that significant. Now, is it with you? Do you pray? Do you operate by faith on the promises of God? Have you been baptized scripturally with a valid baptism in a local church? Do you fellowship with the saints regularly as a habit to one another? Are you continuing steadfastly with your saints in the word of God? Do you think you've excelled us? You know more than we do. Maybe you do. That's okay, I never claimed to be smart. Are you a level above us? I've been told by a former member of this church not to use words like redemption, not to use words like sanctification, not to use words like glorification, because the average person doesn't know what they imply. And I told this person in my Bledsoe way, buzz off. And he did. I'm in it. Why? Because the average person, this is a true statement, he said the average person would have no idea what you're talking about. So I don't bring visitors to Faithway. The very place they should be. How do you learn vocabulary apart from education? Huh? Now, I still use a thesaurus. I still use a Webster's Dictionary at times. Okay? Why? I forget stuff. I forget how to say them. I forget what they mean. I forget those things. And I'll run across a word in my studies, I'll say, you know, I'm not sure I know what that means. Okay. So I learn. Why won't you want to learn? If you don't know what redemption is, let me tell you what it is. Let me educate you. That's what the church is for. Can you believe that a man would sit in these pews and hear us preach and have that kind of comment? I don't care if you love him or not. I love him. I love him. He's wrong. He's wrong. And I told him he was, so I'm not bashful about that. I want to help you. Dennis, Eddie, we want to be a help for you. We want you to be responsible Christians, believers that learn what accountability is because there's coming a day that you're going to give an account of yourself before the Lord God Almighty. And Paul wrote in Thessalonica that you not be ashamed at his coming. That's our desire. So when we say something about the church, that's all I'm talking about. I'm talking to you. I'm talking to those of us that have faith in common and are the righteous children of God and the family of God and the fellowship of God in Jesus Christ. God help us. Let's bow our heads, be dismissed in a word of prayer, and have Brother Daniel come, lead us in a hymn, a song. I trust that God will use this in our hearts and lives. I could have preached on commitment, I could have preached on whatever, but I think it's all over the message. All over the message. I can't help but be committed. I want it to be stronger than ever before. Come on, Daniel. We'll close the service with hymn number 354, number 354, The Church's One Foundation is Jesus Christ, Her Lord. We'll sing the first verse. Stand as we sing. She is His new creation, by Spirit and the Word. From heav'n we came and sought her to be His holy bride. With His own blood Brother Charlie, would you close this prayer for me? Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity to be together with your church, with our fellow brothers and sisters, with our church family. Thank you for what your word teaches us. And the word of the convicting, many times as it may be, help us to realize that you're the ultimate authority. And your word is the ultimate authority. Help us to submit to your word. In truth, you organized the church, you founded the church, Lord. And it's not up to us to make our changes, it's up to us to follow in obedience. Help us to appreciate one another, to love one another, to have a desire to see the lost be saved and be incorporated into the assembly so that they too can be part of our fellowship. We ask all these things in Jesus' name.