Profound change is needed and is coming This change requires a new mindset

Profound change is needed and is coming

This change requires a new mindset

Mark 2:22

And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.

What is the Churches mandate?

Mark 16:15	And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospelto every creature.
Matthew 28:19	Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Preach the Gospel & Teach the ways of God

If you just to the first: Preach the Gospel, Christians won’t mature

If you just do the second Teach Christians,  stagnation sets in

Jesus told us to do both

Matthew 9:35

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Jesus did this: Paul did this

A Flawed Mindset

If I was to ask you, what is the Church, how would you answer?  Many have the concept that the church is a place where people meet to worship God. So we have the Baptist church down the road the Pentecostal church on such and such street and the Lutheran church somewhere else.

The church, Greek Ecclesia literally means.   A Called out people; a people who have been called out of one Kingdom into another kingdom, transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.  When a few of these people get together we have a congregation:

Primarily in the New Testament the church met in homes and ministered out into the community.

Occasionally they came together as one Body

I Corinthians 14:23

If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in [those that are] unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

When they came together it was for instruction teaching not evangelism.

Evangelism was not done when the church came together. Today we constantly strive to get people to come to our church. The unsaved don’t want to come to church, why should they, they don’t have any interest in the church. Now for centuries the church has come together and they have had one service for teaching and usually one evangelistic service. However the vast majority of unsaved don’t and will not come to a church gathering, so we have evangelistic concerts and some get saved: but the retention rate is less than 1% it is dismal. There is an old saying which has some merit.” if it doesn’t work throw it out”

When the New Testament church came together it was not for the benefit of the unsaved

Now every now and then God allows a revival to bring people into the church so it doesn’t die out.

Jesus did not say, go to church and preach the gospel; He said go into the world the market place and preach the gospel and that’s just what every Christian did.

So we need a new Mindset: When the church came together it was not primarily to get people saved. That Mindset has to change

Now: The five fold ministry gifts were told to prepare the people for the work of the Ministry

Ephesians 4:11	And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12	For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Perfecting and equipping Christians for ministry

So if we do that: where are we going to put these Christians?  When we gather on Sundays, there is not room or time for them to minister:

Where can they minister?

It has to be out there in the world, in the market place out where the people live and work, go ye into all the world and preach the good news.

Doing good works is a part of the real gospel. The gospel is good news; you go out there and be good news to someone.

There is a very is very interesting story in Acts 9 about a woman who was raised from the dead: Why was this woman so important that Jesus would raise her from the dead.

Why could the Lord not afford to loose her from this earth?

Acts 9:36

Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.

She was full Good works, and alms deeds and she gave to the poor

The lord would not let her go: He needed her on the earth.

Matthew 5:16	Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
I Timothy 6:18	That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
Titus 2:14	Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Titus 3:8	[This is] a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

We think if only I could move in the spirit I would be useful to God, Just love people help them bless them God will ad what you need.

A New Wineskin is needed

Go into the world: Bring a living Christ in you to a dying world. What would Jesus do if you were hungry, feed you, now you are the extended hand of Jesus. What would Jesus do if you were hurting, heal you.

Church has become a place where we come to get our need met  ME ME ME. I need healing I have hurts I wasn’t potty trained so now I have deep emotional complexes, get a life. Just get out there and bless the unsaved and you will be amazed how quickly your problems will just dissolve.

Acts 20:35

I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Remember Isaiah  58

Isaiah 58:5	Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? [is it] to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes [under him]? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
6	[Is] not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7	[Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

THEN ................

Isaiah 58:8	Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy reward
9	Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I [am]. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10	And [if] thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness [be] as the noon day:

A NEW MINDSET: We minister far too much to Christians. You give to others and GOD will minister to you. These are very hard mindsets to shift, but things have to change a New Wineskin is needed.

Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him. God is about to do a new thing. We must move with God.

God Bless youNeville Johnson © March 2006