Hello Brethren hope we all are doing good.
Today, I wish to share the lessons I learnt on the course of the MCGI community zoom meeting Mass Indoctrination program which kicked off on Monday.
The meeting started in earnest by 12:30pm where Pastor Eli Soriano shared the word of God hammering on the importance of the Church.
Nonetheless, he excavated the following scriptures which he expounded on the course of His message for the day:
I Tim 6:3, Matt 17:5, Jude 1:4, Mark 7:7-8, Matt 28:19, Act 7:18-20, I Cor 14:37, Gal 1:13, Act 22:16, I Cor 1:1-2, Gal 1:22-23, Act 2:41-46, Eph 3:6, Col 1:18, John 12:48, Rom 12:9, Eph 5:23 & 24, 3 John 1:9-10, Act 20:28, Eph 3:10-11, Matt 16:18, Eph 3:6, Act 20:28, John 12:49-50, Deut 18:18, Act 3:22, Isaiah 43:7, Luke 9:20, Dan 9:19, Eph 3:14-15.
Pastor Eli trenched through the scriptures above about prioritizing the Church as he cited a 700 Club presenter and preacher, who once said that one just needs to believe in Jesus as going to Church is not really important.
In Pastor Eli's opinion, he emphasized that the Church is as important as believing in Christ because it was Christ who instituted the Church and gave her the order to make disciples of all nations.
I agree with this teaching about prioritizing the Church as an institution of Christ because the issue we have in Christianity is about maintaining what we started although God is helping us in this faith.
It has become a norm that generational fire of evangelism dies after the revivalist and on this note, the Church is very much important as to breed men who are worthy of the gospel to pick up the genuine mantle of revival or leadership to another generation as they have learnt from the revolutionist.
I may not be expounding on what Pastor Eli already said in the form of rephrasing his words through the scriptures but instead, I'll be sharing what I learnt from his message.
Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.(KJV)
From this passage of the scripture comes the first commandment of Christ to every believer (those who were His disciples in Israel and we who weren't existing by then)
The first mass evangelism was in Matthew 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.(KJV)
After this evangelism of the twelve disciples to preach to the lost sheep of Israel came the final order for believers to go and make disciples of all nations because the twelve were confined to the House of Israel and not to the gentiles.
From the scriptural reference in Mark, the Church was ordered to make disciples of every nation, thereby deregulating the work of the Apostles from just the houses of Israel to the whole world in that everyone that believes and is baptized should be saved while everyone that does not believe will be damned.
Now my emphasis in this regard is that those who repent or believe should be fed with the word of God which will make them to stand firm in the faith and this will be done by their regular attendance in listening to the true word of God in the Church. This makes the Church very important.
Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.(KJV)
We would observe from this passage of the scripture that after the promise of the in-filling of the holy spirit was fulfilled in Act 2, people were added to the Church, this is what and how it should be. Those who believe should join co believers in the House of God to worship and to learn more about God.
We shouldn't abscond ourselves from the Church but we should give ourselves to the gospel even in attending Church services so we can be equipped through the word of knowledge we hear consistently.
We can see from Pastor Eli's citation in Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.
Here the head of the Church is Christ. In other words, the owner of the Church is Jesus Christ. Christians have to buy into these biblical Truth and never give in to fables of men's wisdom no matter whom it's coming from.
The scripture should be the basis of our faith and reference, and not human wisdom, which may not consistently be in congruent and correlation with the word of God.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
From this biblical reference, Pastor Eli talked about the Church being named after its owner which is God. He further hinted that the Church should have the emblem "Church of God" but I acknowledge this fact although many preachers or Church founders may have a contrary opinion to this'.
In reality, what is own by God should bear the name God although this' shouldn't be a cause for controversy if I may opine since it may seem childish to the founders of these Churches if they should go back to the government to re-register the names of their Churches after it has born a particular name for long.
It really sounds funny at this point but the emphasis is that what belongs to God should bear the name of God in essence and not the name of the founders.
Conclusion
We shouldn't negate that going to Church is important because we are equipped the more when we gather to hear the word of God and to also worship God.
The Church which is symbolic to our body, the building and a people. In whichever way it is emphasized should be prioritized.
It is the Church that will teach the wisdom of God- Pastor Eli Soriano
As good as it seems to have our respective Churches bear their sweet names, we have to relate it to the name of its owner which is Christ of God according to the preacher.
Thank you for your noble perusal of this article. God bless Pastor Eli for sharing this incredible word of truth with us and God bless those who has geben themselves in which ever way to edify and empower our spirit and physical man with this program bye and 💗