Discovery Fellowship Church
Matthew 16:13-18 NASB2020
The CHURCH is Essential…
1. Because Jesus Declared His Commitment to the Church
Matthew 16:18 NASB2020
The “gates of Hades” to a Jewish person meant “death…and thus the Lord is simply, powerfully stating that the body of Christ , the Church, as founded upon the truth of Christ’s person and power will not be held captive by sin and need not fear death.”
-Dr. Stanley Toussaint
Revelation 1:12-20 NASB2020
2. Because it is the Gathered Group Through Which God’s Grace is Displayed
Ephesians 2:1-10 NASB2020
Ephesians 3:8-12 NASB2020
“She did not know that the very opposite was supposed to be true. Grace does not excuse sin, but it treasures the broken sinner. True grace is shocking, scandalous. It shakes our conventions with its insistence on getting close to sinners and touching them. Grace is the church's great distinctive. It's the one thing the world cannot duplicate, and the one thing it truly craves above all else--for only grace can bring hope and transformation to a jaded world.”
- Philip Yancey
3. Because it is the Body in Which Jesus’ Disciples are Called to Serve & Grow
1 Corinthians 12:11 NASB2020
Mary had a little lamb
‘Twas given her to keep;
But then, it joined the Baptist Church,
and died for lack of sleep!
3 Biblical Principles
1. Jesus calls you to SERVE in the life-changing ministry of the church
1 Peter 4:10-11 NASB2020
2. Jesus calls you to GROW in the life-changing ministry of the church
Ephesians 4:14-16 NASB2020
3. Jesus calls you to help GROW the body in the life-changing ministry of the church
Acts 4:11-13 NASB2020
Acts 9:31 NASB2020
What does your love for and commitment to the Body of Christ look like?
“When I reach heaven, I expect to find three wonders there: First, to meet some I had not thought to see there; second, to miss some I had thought to meet there; and third, the greatest wonder of all, to find myself there.”
- John Newton (1725 – 1807)