• Home
  • Statement Of Faith
  • Contact Us
  • Services
    • Schedule
  • Sermons by Occasion
    • Sunday Evening Message
    • Special Meetings
    • Sunday Morning Message
  • Sermons by Minister
    • Allen Myers
    • Anthony Gingerich
    • Ben Miller
    • Brian Yoder
    • Calvin Yoder
    • Carl Heatwole
    • Dale Eby
    • Dan Freed
    • Daryl Witmer
    • Delvin Yoder
    • Dr. Nolan Byler
    • Duane Nisly
    • Edward Yoder
    • Eli Yoder
    • Eric Oberholzer
    • Freeman Miller
    • Gabriel Yoder
    • Galen Yoder
    • Glenn Horst
    • Ivan Weaver
    • Jake Troyer
    • Japheth Stauffer
    • Jay Rohrer
    • Jeff Yoder
    • Jerrill Schrock
    • Joe Miller
    • John D Martin
    • John Waldron
    • Josh Good
    • Ken Ranck
    • Kyle Stoltzfus
    • Leon Yoder
    • Lowell Yoder
    • Mark Yoder
    • Melvin Lehman
    • Merle Burkholder
    • Merle Yoder
    • Michael Yoder
    • Milo Zehr
    • Nathan Bange
    • Nathan Good
    • Phil Beiler
    • Raun Schrock
    • Rich Bowman
    • Ricky Bowman
    • Sam Troyer
    • Sonny Yoder
    • Steve Yoder
    • Wayne Schrock
    • Wesley King
    • William Byler

Bethel Mennonite Church - Gladys VA

A Conservative Christian Church (and podcast)

Components of Matthews Vision of the Church

November 9, 2019

https://bmcgladys.com/wp-content/uploads/SermonAudio/2019/2019.11.10.01-components-matthews-vision-church-anthony-gingerich.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:16:03 — 26.1MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | TuneIn | RSS

Text: Ephesians 4:1-16

What are some of the out workings, how we do Church?

We might do church in different ways, but each church needs to have certain things. There are some components that are necessary.

Key components of the church:

Repentance – reorientation of life

Separation – a different kingdom

Mission – proclaiming the power and kingdom of Christ

Discipleship – watching over each other in love and truth
Hebrews 12:15

Fellowship – sharing the Lord’s Supper with each other, our goods, joys, and sorrows

Authority – Leaders are to discern and apply these things together with assembled believers under the authority of Christ

There are probably more components, but these are some that I believe are key to Matthew.

The message of Christ is the same, regardless of which book of the Bible we study.

(text)

To be a follower of Jesus a person needs to be a part of a church that practices these. One cannot practice these components alone.

These components must also be kept together. They are not inherently opposed to each other.

They can’t be isolated and continue to exist in a meaningful way.

These things require the resources of the Holy Spirit.

Those who do these things are given spiritual authority from Christ to accomplish them.

These things must be worked out anew in every generation. There is a time to hand the baton on to the next generation.

When Christ ascended and sent His Spirit, He became present everywhere.

The Church is Christ’s body, it is His fullness.

Problems we face:

1) Relating to those who do church different than our own

People define things different ways and take different stands on the same issues. How can another group be under the authority of Christ if they take a different stand than others.

2) People leaving our churches

3) Difficulty in translating church life into cultural shoe leather

4) Drift — trying to become more relevant by leaving Biblical practices

5) And so on… there are probably others.

I’m going to offer some of my perspectives— I don’t have answers for these.


I believe the line in the questions of denominations is really the question of those that do or don’t do discipleship. There are those who have made the gospel something other than what Jesus gave us. I believe that we have more in common with people that care enough about their doctrine to deny open communion. On one level this is painful, because they are serious about their faith and doctrine. On the other hand they are our brothers. We did not create the problems of denominationalism. People leaving: The fact that we require obedience to practical biblical teaching, will make us a minority. There are churches that do not have the commitment to some of these teachings, creating a path away from our churches. At the same time we must be humble about ways we have hurt people that have left. I think I am saying, that sometimes people do accuse us of these that aren’t fair, we should acknowledge where we have hurt them. We must also acknowledge the cultural trends. These forces are extremely corrosive. I want to sound the alarm in the right way- I don’t want to be an alarmist- the types of activities that people are becoming part of dissolve real community. 3) Biblical teaching requires practical applications to be made. The reason I say this, is that I believe I have precedent both from the example of the Apostles and the testimony of the early church. If we care more about correctly observing the application than the principles that is a problem. We need to develop the imagination to see people so that we think they CAN follow our kingdom teaching and practice. 4) When we try to flatten out our visible differences with the world, we forget that the invisible things that divide us are greater. I believe that every congregation will develop its own life and applications. The great project of Christian leadership is to have discernment in these things. It cannot always be changing, yet it must be able to change. Here is where pastors sometimes wring there hands. Think about these things.

Christ’s will for His church is to face these things — Christ has given us what we need.

Christ’s will is not that we find perfect answers for all these things, but rather that we find repentance, fellowship, etc.

Related Sermons:


  1. Vision Activities for the Church
  2. A Vision for the Future
  3. The Anabaptist View of Scripture
  4. Why Doctrine Matters
  5. Faith, Prayer, Vision

Filed Under: Anthony Gingerich Tagged With: Ephesians, Matthew

Search the Site

Subscribe to the Podcast

Apple PodcastsAndroidRSS

Sermons by Preacher

Brian Yoder Calvin Yoder Carl Heatwole Dale Heisey Dan Freed Delvin Yoder Duane Nisly Edward Yoder Eli Yoder Gabriel Yoder Galen Yoder Glenn Horst Ivan Weaver Jake Troyer Jeff Yoder Jerrill Schrock John D Martin John Waldron Josh Good Ken Ranck Leon Yoder Lowell Miller Lowell Yoder Mark Yoder Melvin Lehman Merle Burkholder Michael Yoder Milo Zehr Nathan Bange Nathan Good Nathan Zook Phil Beiler Raun Schrock Rich Bowman Ricky Bowman Sam Troyer Sonny Yoder Special Meetings Stephen Gingrich Steve Yoder Sunday Evening Message Sunday Morning Message Uncategorized Wayne Schrock Wesley King

Sermons By Reference

1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Kings 1 Peter 1 Samuel 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Chronicles 2 Corinthians 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 Timothy Acts Colossians Daniel Deuteronomy Ecclesiastes Ephesians Exodus Ezekiel Galatians Genesis Hebrews Isaiah James Jeremiah Job John Joshua Judges Leviticus Luke Malachi Mark Matthew Nehemiah Numbers Philippians Proverbs Psalm Psalms Revelation Romans Ruth Titus
BMC | Site by EY-PHOTO-WEB