Sermon intro:

• I want to start with somewhere I was last weekend - The Frontier
  • We have an ENORMOUS task in front of us. 
  • Billions don’t know! 
  • We can PLEAD with God for an answer, but His response is that He’s already given us an answer. 
  • Matthew 16:18 (NLT) — 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
  • So Jesus gives us the solution to the darkness, He gives us a solution to the problem, it is the CHURCH. 

Passage:

• Ephesians 3:8–11 (NLT) — 8 Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 9 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. 10 God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
  • What Paul believed
    • The Church is God’s mysterious plan... it is not a human invention to organize the Christians of the world, it’s God’s plan. 
    • He wants to use it to DISPLAY His glory among the rulers in heavenly places - Look what people under the rule of God, filled with the Spirit, can accomplish! 
    • He carried out the launching of the church through Christ! Christ is building His Church! 
  • How Paul played it out in real life.
    • The church sent Him out 
    • He favored going to CITIES, for CONVERTS, gathered for COMMUNITY, assembled as a CHURCH, led by leaders who were COMMISSIONED

Body

1. The Church is Heaven’s Strategy

Summary line: “The Church is not just part of God’s plan; it is God’s plan — displaying the beauty, power, and rule of Christ to the world.”----

1. Jesus is building His Church.
   • He is the one walking through the lamp stands.
   • He is the one preparing a place for the Church.
   • He deeply loves the Church; He is committed to the Church.
     1. “As Christ loves the Church, and gave Himself”
2. The Spirit is empowering the Church.
   • He does not fall on an individual, but on a people (look at Pentecost, and it was His presence falling on a group of people).
   • He is filling the church with His presence, putting gifts within people, and working within the church.
3. The Father is using the Church like a Master Carpenter uses a tool.
   • The Father is using the Church to demonstrate His glory.
   • He wants the unseen rulers to see His wisdom, His way, and His power.
4. The Church is God’s embassy and military fortress.
   • God's Embassy: It is where kingdom business is conducted. It is a portal from heaven to earth, representing a different nationality, culture, way of life, and leadership.
     1. First - Focus on the Kingdom business being conducted at the Church. People saved, delivered, born again, married, etc.
     2. Second - Focus on the new store - Raising Canes/ Time Square/ Growing up going to LSU store
        1. Started in 1996 at LSU
        2. Now 900 stores
   • God's Military Fortress: He is using it to wage war against the kingdom of darkness. There is an encampment of God everywhere a church is established.

2. The Strategy has a Process

• Throughout the New Testament, we see the same pattern over and over again. It’s a story of how the mission moves onward.
• Salvation comes
  • Bold proclamation
  • Signs and wonders following
  • Results left up to God
• Sanctuary forms
  • Dwelling place for God
  • Place of refuge for the hurting
  • Place of relationship and family
• Structure builds
  • Christians mature through teaching
  • Spirit empowers
  • Gifts are made manifest
• Sending happens
  • The spirit calls
  • The Church response
• Four stories
  • Acts 19 - Paul preachers and sees people saved, he then cultivate sanctuary with a few believers, he’s faithfully disciples and trained them, and begins to set leaders in place, emphasis became a sending church. 
  • Gary and Marilyn Skinner went to Uganda in a dangerous time. They met the imperial Hotel in downtown Kampala and saw The Church thrive.
  • Bethany went to Russia when the iron curtain fell and did Crusades in Pskov Russia. Thousands were saved and my dad turned into the translator Nikolai Zalutsky and said be there Pastor. Do the upcoming years. He became a bishop of 30 churches and then 300.
  • Steve Murrell went with a group to the Philippines in the 80s. Many were saved and they needed somebody to stay behind. Steve stayed behind and knew that he was only there temporarily. He established a sanctuary. He didn’t begin disc cycling people and setting elders in place. Now every nation's movement is 800 churches globally.

3. The Process involves YOU

• Open your eyes and heart to the role the Lord has for His people, the Church
  • The Church is NOT the way Christians organize themselves
  • The Church is NOT the communities social club
  • The Church is NOT an optional and occasional event
  • The Church is… the bride of Christ.
  • The Church is… the body of Christ on earth.
  • The Church is… the embassy of the Kingdom of Heaven.
  • The Church is… God’s family formed by grace.
  • The Church is… the pillar and foundation of the truth.
  • The Church is… the temple where God chooses to dwell.
  • The Church is… the army advancing against the gates of hell.
  • The Church is… the lampstand shining light into darkness.
  • The Church is… the people called, sent, and empowered by the Spirit.
  • The Church is… God’s plan A—and there is no plan B—for reaching the world.
• Devote yourself to what God is doing in the Church
  • Acts 2:42 (NLT) — 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
• See yourself in the process
  • SALVATION - Help the Church reach the lost
  • SANCTUARY - Help the Church provide a resting place for the presence of God and a haven of rest for people
  • STRUCTURE - Look at your own life as a pillar that God wants to build in his house! Each one of us will bring our unique gifts and talents to the table.
    • B-Group leaders
    • Weekend Serving
    • Outreaches
    • Missions Trips
    • Teaching
  • SENDING - This is where the mission really happens. Where is the Lord sending you?
    • LIVE WITH A YES!