Why I Love the Church
Sermon Notes
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24.14).
1. I love the church because its message is about the gospel – the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ – there is not a better message.
• It’s the only news that saves
• Without the gospel people perish
• The world needs our compassion
2. I love the church because its message is a worldwide message.
• It starts where you are – take advantage of what God has entrusted to us
• Let’s pray for more to go – pray that God will raise more people up from DBC to go
• Pray for nations – For what nations/language groups are you praying?
• Let’s remind ourselves of the need
- 6,900 languages spoken today
- 2,100 languages without any of the Bible
Nearly 75% of these people are located in three areas of greatest need
500 – Central Africa & Nigeria
500 – Mainland and Southeast Asia
600 – Indonesia and the Pacific Islands
- 340,000,000 people who speak these 2,100 languages
- 1,500 languages currently in process
- 1,668 languages that have access to the New Testament
- 457 language communities that have the Bible
- 6.5 billion people in the world today
3. I love the church because its worldwide message will succeed.
• Track them
• 2,100 still need to hear
• God’s plan is supernaturally empowered
• Let’s get involved
4. I love the church because time marches closer to the culmination and triumph of His agenda - His promises will come true.
• Time is nearing the end.
• Time to be saved will run out.
• What investment will you make?
So What? Let’s keep loving and growing in our love for the church to the ends of the world! Let’s surrender our lives to His agenda.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him (John 3.16-17).
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28.19).
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth (Acts 1.8).
Do we love the world that God loves?
Do we love the language communities for whom Jesus gave His life?
Do we love the language communities to whom the Spirit calls us to go? This explains why the church in the gospel of Acts reached their known world within 30 years of Pentecost.
And they sang a new song, saying,
"Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
"You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,
"To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."
And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped (Revelation 5.9-14).