in Christ's name. It's been a blessing to to worship with you today. Going back a little bit in time, it's been a while that I have preached on practical living. I think it was back in August when I began this series. and I had one on practical living, on being a witness for God, and today I would like to look at building the church of Jesus Christ. I don't know what you would study on if you were asked to preach or teach on building the church of Jesus Christ. It seemed that I kind of followed my heart and prepared what I'm in need of myself. Building the church of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 16, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. My church and I will build. Who is better equipped to build the church of Jesus Christ than Jesus Christ himself? a perfect church, a heaven on earth, if you will. But wait, He chose to use man to build His church. He chose to use you and I to build His church here on earth, His kingdom. For many of us, the earliest childhood memories that we have include going to church. We'd sit on the bench and our feet dangled somewhere between the seat of the bench and the floor beneath it. And we have memories of preachers behind the old wooden pulpit preaching the gospel with tears running down their cheeks. and they would tell us about heaven and how to get there. They would preach about hell, that awful place where no one wants to end up at. Those were the days before we realized that the church was the battleground between good and evil, between what was right and what was wrong. But these men had a vision, and they were trying to guide our young hearts and minds towards repentance and amendment of life. They knew in their heart and mind that the church was someday going to be built by these young souls, whether we realized it or not at that time. We didn't understand why they had a burden, but it seemed right to us. Life was good. We were young. But you know what? Life goes on. And today, many of us are older. And now we understand why the preachers way back when had a passion for preaching the word. And for guiding us in the way of truth. They were giving us instruction in righteousness. Trying to steer our little minds and hearts in the right direction. so that someday that stubborn little will would be broken and our will would line up with God's will for our life. And we would become useful vessels in building His kingdom here on earth. They realized that God is using mankind, men and women, to build His church. and sense the importance of teaching repentance, self-denial, cross-bearing, and following Jesus. lest we come to the place that Amos talks about in chapter 8. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And that is my desire today, is to bring to you the word of the Lord, lest there be a famine in the land. I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The thought seems to be that the powers of this world and even all hell itself cannot destroy or subdue the church of Jesus Christ. Isn't that wonderful? At times it seems that confusion and unrest are rampant and the powers of darkness are prevailing. But they will never overpower or destroy the true Christian church that is built upon the blood of Jesus Christ. What other subject in the Bible is so thoroughly discussed as the beloved bride of Christ, the apple of His eye as the church? The Bible is full of teaching on how to build the church and how to live our lives. It has answers on how a church should function. And you and I are an important part of this building and functioning process of The Church of Jesus Christ. if confusion and unrest prevail. God may well bring the question to us like he did to Adam and Eve after they transgressed. Where art thou? Where art thou? Where are you in church life? Where am I in church life? Am I arrogant, stubborn, demanding my own way? Or am I like the Apostle Paul who said, He considered himself a servant and less than the least of all saints. How do I fit into church life? Am I a co-builder with Jesus Christ and my brothers and sisters in this work? Building the church. The church is made up of strong families. Where do strong families come from? They come from committed, devoted individuals who follow Christ Jesus. And so building the church of Jesus Christ becomes personal. It's not something that we push off on someone else to do. We're a part of this great work and we do well to join our hands and hearts together and build His kingdom, His church here on earth. Turn to the book of Matthew. Matthew chapter 4. Jesus is calling all of us, young and old, to follow Him. Matthew 4, verses 17-22, He is calling His disciples unto Himself. Chapter 4, verse 17, From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets and followed him. And going on from thence he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him." Turn to Mark chapter 1. Mark chapter 1 verses 14 through 22. Two different writers with the same message. Mark 1 verse 14, Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye, and believe the gospel. Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets and followed him. And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who also were in the ship, mending their nets. And straightway he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants and went after him. And they went into Capernaum, and straightway on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as one that had authority and not as the scribes. Jesus called to himself twelve disciples. And they dropped everything they were doing and followed him straightway. Did you notice what Jesus preached before he called to himself these followers? Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent ye and believe the gospel. And then he proceeds to call men to follow him. Repentance is the key to the entrance into the church of the kingdom of the church of Jesus Christ. Repent and believe the gospel. It was a very first message that Jesus preached was on repentance. Few things today are as confusing and disgraceful than members in a church in so-called good standing who refuse to confess their sins and repent and be broken before God and live in honesty. It gives the world an opportunity to blaspheme the name of God when they see that. And it's a horrible testimony. The Apostle Paul was brave enough to call this type of people the enemies of the cross of Christ in Philippians 3.18. Jesus said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. That leaves no room for self, for an unrepentant attitude and heart. Jesus is calling us to follow him by way of repentance, self-denial, and cross-bearing. We call it discipleship, which means that we believe in the teachings of a master and we assist him in spreading those teachings. An active supporter. We live out what we believe. Discipleship is not just having faith in some system of beliefs, but a call to active duty to what we believe in. Discipleship calls us to actively become involved in what we believe in. What do we believe in? I trust we believe in this word. And we become actively involved in spreading the gospel to others because of our call from Jesus to repent and to become part of this congregation. The Church of Jesus Christ at large, if you will. This is not the only church. Turn to Luke chapter 9. Luke chapter 9 verse 23. Chapter 9 verse 23, and he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Now, chapter 14. Chapter 14, verse 27 and verse 33. I know there's more here that we could read, but we'll just look at these several verses. Verse 27 says, And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Verse 33, So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Here in these verses we see three requirements to meet in order to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. One is that we deny self. Two is that we take up the cross. And three is that we follow Jesus. Number one, deny himself. Deny the fleshly desires of our carnal nature. Means that we refuse or forsake the desire to follow the carnal nature within us. We forsake and we refuse to yield to the temptations and the opportunities to sin. But we have one about us. who opposes that. He proposes the impossible, that we can do just a little bit of both. We can serve two masters at the same time. He suggests that we can talk the talk, but we don't have to walk the walk. He suggests that faith is in the heart only and it needs no expression on the outside. We can love the world and live like the world and still be in favor with God. You see, He wants us to do a little bit of both. His proposals are often subtle. They appear so innocent, and sometimes they seem so right. He tries to erase the clear testimony of the Christian, of the believer in Jesus. He tries to soften that sharp edge between the sinner and the saint. Between the church and the world. He wants them to make them more compatible. He wants the church to enjoy some of the pleasures of this world. Just to be a little less noticeable. More attractive and friendly towards the world. That is Satan's desire. He wants us to forget God. He wants to steer us away from building the church of Jesus Christ. He is anti-God, and so he is anti-church as well. Building the church of Jesus Christ requires active self-denial on a personal level. We deny, we forsake any personal pleasure or self-interest that interferes with following Jesus Christ. What is it that hurts us by denying self? Why is it so painful to deny ourselves? Why do we feel that we are being deprived of something important by denying self? Is it not because our selfish desires have been touched by a greater cause? We have been moved to a greater cause than our own desire and our own flesh and the flesh doesn't like it. Perhaps someone else's needs are at our doorstep and they require our help or our time. Jesus left a perfect example. Many times he was moved with compassion when he saw the multitude and said they were like sheep having no shepherds. And he moved in and helped them. He healed the lame, the blind. He cured those that were possessed with demons and much more. Many times he deprived himself of rest and comfort in order to reach out and help the needy around him. A perfect example for us. So what does it mean to deny ourselves as Jesus said we should? Does He want us to completely forsake everything that we have interest in? And just be involved in the things of others? Don't we have responsibilities ourselves? We all need to look after our own personal matters. Even the disciples, remember they straightway forsook everything and followed him. But if we would continue reading, we'd come to the place several times where they went fishing. They went back to their old job of fishing. There are bills to pay. We have responsibilities. Our families need food and clothes. We need to meet the spiritual needs of our families and give enough time and attention to our little ones. Our youth need to feel that they can communicate with us and share their fears, their struggles, their desires. These responsibilities have been given to us by God, and we should not ignore them. There are times when we are working. We are trying to provide for our own needs. The Bible says that we should work so that we have to give, and we do that. and all of a sudden something more important shows up and we are to drop those things that seem so important to help a brother or sister who needs a hand or maybe just a listening ear. Are we willing then to drop our legitimate what we think so important work in order to help them. I think that's what Jesus is trying to teach us. We would say keep your priorities straight. And we should somehow find a way to provide for those needs in a way that pleases God. Now, I'll admit there's times when things come up and we will say no, at least I will. You have to weigh them in a balance, I guess, which is more important. We cannot, we dare not neglect our loved ones for the sake of something frivolous that can wait. Sometimes we are required to spend some of our evenings with someone who is hurting. Someone who needs a listening ear. We need to take time and listen to their heart. Listen to their frustrations and struggles. Take time to study the word, to search the scriptures, to pray with them. and try to find help, a solution to the problem or the struggle. Wait on God for an answer. Help them to see that. Denying self. You know, there's many times there's 101 other things that we need to be doing too. God is calling us to set our priorities in order. to deny self. We don't have to go fishing that evening. Jesus denied himself to bring us salvation. Jesus denied himself to bring us salvation. We have not yet given our life for someone else. Could we not deny self sometimes to reach out and help each other? And I'm blessed to be part of this congregation where that is actively happening. May this be an encouragement to all of us. Denying self simply means we choose God's way instead of giving in to the desires of our flesh. Number two, take up the cross. Crucify the old nature. One writer gave it this way. What does it mean to take up the cross? He said, bearing one's cross is not an easy assignment. It is just being a true Christian with all that it entails. What does it entail? It is just being a true Christian with all that it entails. Well, one thing I thought of was today, we hear the voice of an easy cross. We don't like to be burdened down with too heavy a cross. Yea, hath God said. Satan gets us to doubt. And we adjust discipleship to a way of life that seems right under our present circumstances. We kind of adjust the weight of the cross, if you will. There is also the false idea that true discipleship can be obtained without total commitment to the Word of God. Bearing the cross. Could it be that the cross we are to carry is simply a question? And along with that question, an honest answer. between my will and the world. The cross stands between me and the world. And that question is, what will this do to my relationship with Jesus Christ? Is that your cross? Is that my cross? Before I reach out and do something, will I ask that question? What will it do to my relationship with Jesus Christ? I don't think the cross is sickness or financial struggle or you name it we all face though even the world faces those things Galatians 6 14 but God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and note what he says next by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world." It almost seems that the Apostle Paul is saying, between him and the world, there was a cross. And in all of life, you know, our business dealings, what we feed on, where we go, what we do, how we look, All those, when we're confronted with a choice to make, ask the question, what will this do to my relationship with Jesus Christ? And give that question an honest answer before proceeding. I'm not sure if I understand what bearing the cross means in its completeness. But to me, I think that could be part of it. Building the church requires a personal, total commitment with all of self on the cross, on the altar. The way of the cross leads home. Number three, follow Christ. Discipleship. Believe in Jesus and his teachings and actively live them out in daily life. Consider with me the early church in the book of Acts. By the way, it's called the Acts of the Apostles. It doesn't say the intentions of the apostles. It's interesting to read the book of Acts. It's a book of action. These people took action and they lived out their faith. They believed in Jesus and their desire was to live like Jesus. You know, today, we want to know if a person is a believer or a Christian. Our emphasis is kind of on the believing part. In their day, in the early church, the word was disciple, and their emphasis was on following. I think in the book of Acts, the word Christian is mentioned twice, and the word believer once, and the word disciple is like 30 sometimes. And remember, a disciple is a follower, an active follower. He aids in helping the master spread the gospel. And that's what these early Christians were. They patterned their lives after Jesus. They wanted to imitate His life. To walk in His steps. To live as He lived. You know, we tend to reduce Christianity to a system of beliefs. They talked about suffering with Him and dying for His name. disciples they were men of women they were men and women of action willing to follow jesus regardless of the cost many of them lost their families and their friends and their finances in order to follow jesus christ they were willing to live radically different lives than the mainstream around them and what happened The world sat up and took notice. Remember how they were burned at stake, or they were drowned, and they had a smile on their face, and some of their executors actually repented and came to know the Lord. The world took notice. They were accused of turning the world upside down in one place. I believe we, like the early church, live in a world that is watching. They are looking for men and women who are so dedicated and consecrated to the teachings of Jesus Christ that we are willing to live them out. If we just live like the world, we have nothing to offer to them. They are looking for something better. And so the true church and the world is looking for disciples, not just believers. A disciple is one who is committed to the cause of the kingdom of God. Jesus said, we read it, you cannot be my disciple if other affections have priority in your life. And that's something. He says we cannot be his disciple if a little bit of self is in the way. It's serious. Let's follow Jesus. He is the only way to get to where we want to go. Follow Jesus. In conclusion, where am I in church life? Am I a co-worker with Jesus and my brothers and sisters in this great work of building the church? It takes action on a personal level. On a personal level. Deny self, take up the cross, and follow Jesus. God has given each of us a very unique set of gifts and talents that we are to engage and to use in building His kingdom here on earth together. We are to blend these gifts and talents in a way that they can be used to bring Him glory and honor through the church. He has placed us into this world in this time for a purpose. to fill a special place in his kingdom. May we together rise up and build the church of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5.27, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. Let's kneel and pray. Holy Father, we come to you today in the name of Jesus. Thank you for this scripture, these scriptures that we touched on. Lord, we feel so weak and undone. Yet we're so grateful that you have called us out of darkness. You have called us to follow you. You have called us to build your kingdom here on earth. As frail as we are, yet by your Holy Spirit and by the power of the blood, we are able to do that. And Lord, we pray. that you would help us, each one of us here today. Thank you for each life, each heart that is represented. Oh God, we pray you would instill into us a passion for building the Church of Jesus Christ, for reaching out to those who have needs, for reaching out to the lost who have never heard of you. Oh God, may our lives be that light and a testimony of your mercy, your grace, and your love upon mankind. Bless each one for coming, Keep us safe in your care. Guide us with your loving presence is our desire. And we want to give you glory, for you alone are worthy. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.