1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:24,959 Now today’s title is simply, What is the Church, and Why Does it Matter? 2 00:00:25,400 –> 00:00:34,480 The aim of the series, remember, is that we will share the passion of Jesus Christ 3 00:00:34,480 –> 00:00:36,959 for His Church. 4 00:00:36,959 –> 00:00:42,040 And let’s face it, in the eyes of the world, the Church looks pretty weak, out of date, 5 00:00:42,040 –> 00:00:47,580 out of touch, out of style – the list goes on and on. 6 00:00:47,580 –> 00:00:51,980 What we’re going to learn from the Scriptures is that in the eyes of Jesus Christ the Church 7 00:00:52,180 –> 00:00:58,720 is infinitely valuable, eternally precious and infinitely glorious. 8 00:00:58,720 –> 00:01:05,139 There are many Christians who can only see the Church through the eyes of the world. 9 00:01:05,139 –> 00:01:10,739 And what I want to do in this series, as we open up the Scriptures, is to help you see 10 00:01:10,739 –> 00:01:13,620 the Church through the eyes of Jesus Christ. 11 00:01:13,620 –> 00:01:17,180 To see the church as Christ sees her. 12 00:01:17,180 –> 00:01:22,660 But I want to suggest to you right at the beginning, that the vast majority of Christians 13 00:01:22,660 –> 00:01:29,879 in this country have never seen the church as Christ sees her. 14 00:01:29,879 –> 00:01:33,699 Let me give you some figures to bear that out. 15 00:01:33,699 –> 00:01:37,580 Seventy-six percent of Americans claim to be Christian. 16 00:01:37,580 –> 00:01:40,839 Let’s take the population is just over 300 million. 17 00:01:40,839 –> 00:01:43,620 But let’s round it to 300 million. 18 00:01:43,620 –> 00:01:52,459 What that means is that 225 million people in this country claim to be Christian believers. 19 00:01:52,459 –> 00:02:02,440 Off that number, on any given weekend, 52 million gather for worship in a local church. 20 00:02:02,440 –> 00:02:09,639 Which raises a question, where are the other 173 million? 21 00:02:09,639 –> 00:02:12,880 What about them? 22 00:02:13,880 –> 00:02:19,020 There are 173 million people in the United States of America today who claim to be Christian 23 00:02:19,020 –> 00:02:25,800 believers, but do not have a living connection with a congregation of believers in which 24 00:02:25,800 –> 00:02:30,419 they engage in worship and in the body of Christ. 25 00:02:30,419 –> 00:02:32,940 Think about what that means, friends. 26 00:02:32,940 –> 00:02:37,880 Less than a quarter of those who profess to be Christian believers actually gather with 27 00:02:37,880 –> 00:02:41,940 others for worship. 28 00:02:42,020 –> 00:02:49,479 If we could do a survey of the 173 million Americans who do not gather with other believers, 29 00:02:49,479 –> 00:02:54,520 I’m sure we would hear many, many stories, and some of them at least will be familiar 30 00:02:54,520 –> 00:02:55,520 to you. 31 00:02:55,520 –> 00:02:58,679 Some of them may be part of your experience. 32 00:02:58,679 –> 00:03:03,119 There would be some who only have a faint connection with Christianity. 33 00:03:03,119 –> 00:03:05,500 Maybe they were baptized as infants. 34 00:03:05,500 –> 00:03:08,720 They might say that they believe that Jesus died on the cross, but they have really never 35 00:03:08,940 –> 00:03:13,300 experienced any living power of Christ in their life. 36 00:03:13,320 –> 00:03:18,860 It’s merely something that is a vague belief in the background of their lives. 37 00:03:18,860 –> 00:03:23,899 But then there would be others in this 173 million who have believed and who have served 38 00:03:23,899 –> 00:03:26,059 and in some way they’ve been burned. 39 00:03:26,059 –> 00:03:35,240 They saw sin, or they saw scandal in the church, and they were offended, and they were discouraged. 40 00:03:36,020 –> 00:03:43,740 They got burned and they determined that they would never go near a local church again. 41 00:03:43,740 –> 00:03:47,339 Then there would be others who would say, you know, I came to church for a long time I simply got nothing out of it. 42 00:03:47,339 –> 00:03:49,360 I gave up. 43 00:03:49,360 –> 00:03:52,059 There was nothing of spiritual substance there. 44 00:03:52,059 –> 00:03:59,059 There was nothing that touched reality, there was nothing that connects with the life that I’m living today. 45 00:03:59,059 –> 00:04:01,380 Others may simply have drifted. 46 00:04:01,600 –> 00:04:08,619 Got involved in other activities, other things took over and – or maybe they just never found a church that felt like home. 47 00:04:10,320 –> 00:04:16,239 The list could go on and you could think of other reasons I’m sure. 48 00:04:16,239 –> 00:04:22,260 It isn’t hard to find reasons to abandon the church. 49 00:04:22,260 –> 00:04:27,119 We live, folks, in a highly individualistic culture, probably, America today the most 50 00:04:28,079 –> 00:04:34,079 culture that has ever existed in the history or on the face of the world. 51 00:04:34,079 –> 00:04:40,000 And more and more people in these early years of the 21st century, live with an instinctive 52 00:04:40,000 –> 00:04:45,679 distrust of anything that looks in anyway like an institution. 53 00:04:45,679 –> 00:04:51,179 Then there’s a natural pragmatism that is within many of us that is always looking at 54 00:04:51,179 –> 00:04:56,000 the question, what’s the most efficient way to get a job done? 55 00:04:56,059 –> 00:04:59,980 And for those who simply look at the question what’s the most efficient way of getting a 56 00:04:59,980 –> 00:05:07,260 job done, the local church often doesn’t look like the best vehicle for changing the world. 57 00:05:07,260 –> 00:05:13,540 So folks drift and they put in their energy somewhere else. 58 00:05:13,540 –> 00:05:18,799 On top of this, it’s important for you folks to know that there are some who are now saying 59 00:05:18,799 –> 00:05:23,799 that the church is actually damaging to your spiritual health, that if you want to be a 60 00:05:24,059 –> 00:05:28,000 real follower of Jesus, the best way to do it is to leave the church. 61 00:05:28,000 –> 00:05:33,440 That in some way the church is actually toxic to spiritual life. 62 00:05:33,440 –> 00:05:41,820 All of this is to say that Christians in our beloved country of America desperately, desperately 63 00:05:41,820 –> 00:05:50,000 need to recover a compelling biblical vision of the church. 64 00:05:50,000 –> 00:05:53,299 Well, this is the reason for our series, folks. 65 00:05:53,299 –> 00:05:59,019 And by the time we’re done with these four weeks, I hope that you will feel that the 66 00:05:59,019 –> 00:06:08,000 great privilege of your life is that you belong to the body of Christ, and that you are discovering 67 00:06:08,000 –> 00:06:16,720 a growing passion for the church, which is the Bride of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 68 00:06:16,859 –> 00:06:21,679 Well now, we begin today with the question, what is the church? 69 00:06:21,679 –> 00:06:25,540 What is the church? 70 00:06:25,540 –> 00:06:30,579 First time I thought about this issue seriously, I was with a group of friends in the junior 71 00:06:30,579 –> 00:06:35,019 common room in the London Bible College at the age of 20. 72 00:06:35,019 –> 00:06:37,739 We were a group of students who loved the Lord. 73 00:06:37,739 –> 00:06:40,040 We were all studying theology. 74 00:06:40,040 –> 00:06:43,540 We met together regularly for worship and for prayer. 75 00:06:43,540 –> 00:06:44,540 We shared real fellowship. 76 00:06:44,600 –> 00:06:46,359 We were studying the Bible. 77 00:06:46,359 –> 00:06:51,179 So, the question came up, we’re sitting around in the junior common room, what do you think 78 00:06:51,179 –> 00:06:54,000 guys, are we a church? 79 00:06:54,000 –> 00:06:56,540 Interesting question. 80 00:06:56,540 –> 00:07:01,899 If you’ve been involved in student leadership, by the way, on any college campus or led a 81 00:07:01,899 –> 00:07:07,100 ministry, you have probably at some point got into this discussion, are we a church? 82 00:07:07,100 –> 00:07:09,500 I’ll ask you to think about this with me. 83 00:07:09,559 –> 00:07:14,980 If three Christians meet every day at a bus stop, are they a church? 84 00:07:14,980 –> 00:07:19,779 If they talk about the Bible when they’re on the train or when they’re in Starbucks, 85 00:07:19,779 –> 00:07:22,760 is that a church? 86 00:07:22,760 –> 00:07:27,059 Is your small group, your life group, is that a church? 87 00:07:27,059 –> 00:07:32,040 I ask the question because a growing number of Christians today simply have the idea that 88 00:07:32,040 –> 00:07:35,820 church is plural for Christian. 89 00:07:35,820 –> 00:07:39,339 They have this diminishing definition. 90 00:07:39,359 –> 00:07:43,779 They feel that any group of Christians speaking about something spiritual at any time or place 91 00:07:43,779 –> 00:07:44,859 is the church. 92 00:07:44,859 –> 00:07:48,339 Now, I’m asking you the question—do you think that’s right? 93 00:07:48,339 –> 00:07:50,940 And if not, why not? 94 00:07:50,940 –> 00:07:52,799 What is the church? 95 00:07:53,899 –> 00:08:01,859 Let’s begin by asking this question—what did Jesus mean when he spoke about the church? 96 00:08:01,859 –> 00:08:05,220 What does the word church mean on the lips of Jesus? 97 00:08:05,220 –> 00:08:08,260 Don’t you think that’s the best place to begin? 98 00:08:08,279 –> 00:08:11,920 Because whatever Jesus means by the church, that’s what I want to mean when I speak about 99 00:08:11,920 –> 00:08:14,299 the church, and I’m sure you feel that too. 100 00:08:14,299 –> 00:08:21,720 Now, there are only two occasions in all of the four Gospels where the word church actually 101 00:08:21,720 –> 00:08:22,880 occurs. 102 00:08:22,880 –> 00:08:27,359 Our Lord Jesus only used the church—word church—twice. 103 00:08:27,359 –> 00:08:33,299 And what he said on these two occasions defines what church is for us. 104 00:08:33,299 –> 00:08:36,539 The first occasion Jesus used this word is very well known. 105 00:08:36,580 –> 00:08:41,619 It is in Matthew chapter 16 and verse 18, and I hope you’ll turn there with me now. 106 00:08:41,619 –> 00:08:42,619 You know the story. 107 00:08:42,619 –> 00:08:46,640 Peter had confessed that Jesus is the Christ and the son of God. 108 00:08:46,640 –> 00:08:53,559 And Christ says to him, I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. 109 00:08:53,559 –> 00:08:56,099 First time Jesus said the word. 110 00:08:56,099 –> 00:09:00,080 And then he said the gates of hell will not overcome it. 111 00:09:01,080 –> 00:09:04,479 Now this time, the first time Jesus used 112 00:09:04,479 –> 00:09:10,539 the word church, it is very clear that he is using the word to refer to all believers 113 00:09:10,539 –> 00:09:14,280 in every age and in every place. 114 00:09:14,280 –> 00:09:22,859 I say that is clear because he’s very clear in saying that there is only one, my church, 115 00:09:22,859 –> 00:09:27,280 singular, I will build it. 116 00:09:27,280 –> 00:09:32,380 So Christ is here not speaking about a local church like The Orchard because The Orchard 117 00:09:32,380 –> 00:09:39,219 is only one of many and the Lord here isn’t speaking about the Baptists or the Methodists 118 00:09:39,219 –> 00:09:44,640 or the Lutherans or the Catholics or any other church or group of churches that you might 119 00:09:44,640 –> 00:09:46,460 care to name. 120 00:09:46,460 –> 00:09:53,020 He is speaking here about all believers in every age and in every place. 121 00:09:53,020 –> 00:09:55,020 That’s the first definition of the word church. 122 00:09:55,359 –> 00:10:02,159 It’s the way in which Jesus uses it in Matthew 16, and this reminds us that there is one 123 00:10:02,159 –> 00:10:07,900 church and Jesus says I am the one who is building it. 124 00:10:07,900 –> 00:10:13,520 Believers in Christ from every time, every generation, and from every country and every 125 00:10:13,520 –> 00:10:21,619 background in the world are truly one in Jesus Christ whatever the particular brand of church 126 00:10:21,619 –> 00:10:23,099 they may belong to. 127 00:10:23,219 –> 00:10:30,140 There is one body in the Lord and the New Testament repeats that again and again. 128 00:10:30,140 –> 00:10:34,979 And Jesus says the church is built on the solid rock of Christ himself. 129 00:10:34,979 –> 00:10:38,859 Remember, Peter has just confessed that Jesus is the son of God. 130 00:10:38,859 –> 00:10:44,900 And Jesus says to Peter, verse 17, the Father has revealed this to you. 131 00:10:44,900 –> 00:10:46,659 You didn’t work this out on your own. 132 00:10:46,659 –> 00:10:49,260 You’ve had a revelation from the Father here. 133 00:10:49,500 –> 00:10:53,500 Peter, you are in touch with reality when you say that I am the Christ, the son of the 134 00:10:53,500 –> 00:10:54,500 living God. 135 00:10:54,500 –> 00:10:58,179 And I tell you, Peter, that on this reality that I am the Christ, the son of the living 136 00:10:58,179 –> 00:11:02,780 God, this reality that you have confessed, I will build my church. 137 00:11:02,780 –> 00:11:10,460 In other words, he’s saying the church stands solid on the foundation of Jesus Christ who 138 00:11:10,460 –> 00:11:13,559 is forever the son of God. 139 00:11:13,640 –> 00:11:14,840 And then Jesus says, 140 00:11:20,799 –> 00:11:25,140 Now, think about it, you can’t say that about any local church. 141 00:11:25,140 –> 00:11:30,400 You read through history, you travel around the world. 142 00:11:30,400 –> 00:11:34,419 All over the world there are stories of churches, whole denominations, that have lost their 143 00:11:34,419 –> 00:11:37,340 way and then they’ve closed. 144 00:11:37,340 –> 00:11:40,200 Travel around Europe. 145 00:11:40,219 –> 00:11:43,820 See the ruins of buildings where Christ was once honored. 146 00:11:43,820 –> 00:11:49,179 You can’t say the gates of hell will not prevail against any local church. 147 00:11:49,179 –> 00:11:50,520 That’s not what Jesus is saying. 148 00:11:50,520 –> 00:11:58,380 He’s saying, I will gather the body of believers from every age and in every place, and the 149 00:11:58,380 –> 00:12:04,500 gates of hell cannot prevail over the people of God. 150 00:12:05,960 –> 00:12:08,940 Your faith in Christ, you have this promise, Jesus says, 151 00:12:09,020 –> 00:12:13,940 not one of them will be lost. 152 00:12:13,940 –> 00:12:16,320 Churches may close. 153 00:12:16,320 –> 00:12:19,719 No believer is ever lost. 154 00:12:20,900 –> 00:12:27,219 Let me just make one or two observations before we go on to the second use of this word, church. 155 00:12:27,219 –> 00:12:33,320 When Jesus speaks about the church here in Matthew chapter 16, he speaks about what is 156 00:12:33,320 –> 00:12:37,580 sometimes called the church universal. 157 00:12:37,599 –> 00:12:44,739 That is the entire body of believers in every time, and in every place. 158 00:12:45,539 –> 00:12:51,520 It’s important to remember, folks, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who knows these 159 00:12:51,520 –> 00:12:53,419 believers. 160 00:12:53,419 –> 00:12:57,840 We don’t know them, and sometimes we can’t discern if someone is a true believer or not, 161 00:12:57,840 –> 00:13:02,440 if they’re the real article, or if they’re just sitting in church and a hypocrite. 162 00:13:02,440 –> 00:13:04,960 But Jesus knows. 163 00:13:05,000 –> 00:13:11,140 Any local church, any gathering like the gathering we are part of today, is going to be a mixed 164 00:13:11,140 –> 00:13:17,440 bag, a mixed bag of those who truly belong to Christ, and of those who don’t. 165 00:13:17,440 –> 00:13:22,859 Jesus said, the wheat and the tares grow together, and that happens until Christ comes, and when 166 00:13:22,859 –> 00:13:28,219 Christ comes, you know what, one will be taken, and another will be left. 167 00:13:28,219 –> 00:13:32,679 That will be true in worship services, where there is a mixture of people who truly have 168 00:13:32,679 –> 00:13:35,460 faith in Christ, and those who are just there. 169 00:13:35,460 –> 00:13:42,359 See, you do not belong to Christ by joining the church. 170 00:13:42,359 –> 00:13:46,039 You belong to the church by being joined to Jesus Christ. 171 00:13:46,039 –> 00:13:48,700 That’s so important to grasp. 172 00:13:48,700 –> 00:13:52,940 You do not belong to Christ by joining the church. 173 00:13:52,940 –> 00:13:58,080 You belong to the church by being joined to Jesus Christ. 174 00:13:58,080 –> 00:14:04,440 And in 2nd Timothy, for example, we read about men in the church like Hymenaeus, and Philetus, 175 00:14:04,440 –> 00:14:06,200 who must have caused terrible trouble. 176 00:14:06,200 –> 00:14:10,880 We’re told that they wandered away from the truth, their teaching spread like gangrene, 177 00:14:10,880 –> 00:14:14,520 and the Apostle Paul says in the light of these folks, he says this. 178 00:14:14,520 –> 00:14:19,760 He says, nevertheless, the God-solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription, 179 00:14:19,760 –> 00:14:21,919 the Lord knows who are his. 180 00:14:21,919 –> 00:14:26,520 See, other people thought that Hymenaeus and Philitis were his, but it turned out that 181 00:14:26,520 –> 00:14:27,520 they were not. 182 00:14:27,520 –> 00:14:32,479 He said, the Lord knows who are his, and then he says this, and everyone who professes the 183 00:14:32,479 –> 00:14:36,799 name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness. 184 00:14:36,799 –> 00:14:39,359 God knows who are his. 185 00:14:39,359 –> 00:14:42,099 God knows who’s a genuine believer and who’s a hypocrite. 186 00:14:42,099 –> 00:14:46,479 We don’t often know that, often don’t know it. 187 00:14:46,479 –> 00:14:49,619 But he knows the wheat from the chaff. 188 00:14:49,619 –> 00:14:51,080 Nobody fools Christ. 189 00:14:51,080 –> 00:14:53,140 Nobody deceives him. 190 00:14:53,140 –> 00:14:57,219 Here’s what we do know, that everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away 191 00:14:57,299 –> 00:14:58,299 from wickedness. 192 00:14:58,299 –> 00:15:04,239 So, if a man holds onto wickedness, he should not fool himself into thinking that he belongs 193 00:15:04,239 –> 00:15:06,059 to Christ. 194 00:15:06,059 –> 00:15:10,380 You can’t fool Christ, so don’t fool yourself. 195 00:15:10,380 –> 00:15:12,340 Third observation, just before we move on. 196 00:15:12,340 –> 00:15:21,179 Since the church as Jesus speaks about it here, is the full company of all true believers 197 00:15:21,260 –> 00:15:25,900 from every age and in every place. 198 00:15:25,900 –> 00:15:31,140 It follows that only Christ right now can see it. 199 00:15:31,140 –> 00:15:32,659 None of us has seen this. 200 00:15:32,659 –> 00:15:36,059 None of us has seen every believer in every place. 201 00:15:36,059 –> 00:15:40,219 So many are with the Lord. 202 00:15:40,219 –> 00:15:47,179 But the church in all of its glory is going to be unveiled on the day when Jesus Christ 203 00:15:47,260 –> 00:15:53,260 stands with his people in this vast, unimaginably vast congregation. 204 00:15:53,260 –> 00:15:55,859 John saw it in the vision in the book of Revelation. 205 00:15:55,859 –> 00:15:59,219 He said it was a multitude that no one could number. 206 00:15:59,219 –> 00:16:02,940 And they’re drawn from every tribe and language and nation. 207 00:16:02,940 –> 00:16:07,559 And they’re saying salvation belongs to God, and they’re there, John says, because they 208 00:16:07,559 –> 00:16:10,659 have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, that is, 209 00:16:10,659 –> 00:16:13,179 Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who laid down his 210 00:16:13,179 –> 00:16:16,940 life as a sacrifice for our sins. 211 00:16:16,960 –> 00:16:19,200 And there they are, and the Lamb himself stands at 212 00:16:19,219 –> 00:16:21,619 the center of the throne. 213 00:16:21,619 –> 00:16:24,080 And he’s the one who leads them into springs of 214 00:16:24,080 –> 00:16:29,380 living water and God wipes away all tears from their eyes. 215 00:16:29,380 –> 00:16:31,380 That’s the church. 216 00:16:31,380 –> 00:16:34,780 What a day it will be when its full glory is revealed. 217 00:16:34,780 –> 00:16:40,299 What a day it will be for you to be part of that great multitude. 218 00:16:40,479 –> 00:16:46,419 All believers, from every age, in every place. 219 00:16:48,020 –> 00:16:51,380 I want you to turn over in your Bible two pages 220 00:16:51,380 –> 00:16:55,260 to the second time that Jesus spoke about the church. 221 00:16:57,340 –> 00:16:59,780 It’s in Matthew chapter 18. 222 00:16:59,780 –> 00:17:01,419 And we pick it up in verse 15. 223 00:17:03,099 –> 00:17:06,900 Our lord is speaking here about a situation where there is a dispute 224 00:17:06,900 –> 00:17:09,280 between two believers, someone has wronged his brother. 225 00:17:10,719 –> 00:17:13,439 And he says, verse 15, if your brother sins against you, 226 00:17:13,439 –> 00:17:17,739 go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. 227 00:17:18,640 –> 00:17:21,079 And then, if he won’t listen, 228 00:17:21,079 –> 00:17:23,319 verse 16, take someone else along. 229 00:17:24,920 –> 00:17:26,739 And then verse 17 is our focus, 230 00:17:26,739 –> 00:17:29,079 where Jesus uses the word church a second time. 231 00:17:29,079 –> 00:17:33,099 He says, if this person refuses to listen still, 232 00:17:33,099 –> 00:17:38,099 even to these people, tell it to the church. 233 00:17:38,880 –> 00:17:42,020 Matthew 18 and verse 17. 234 00:17:42,020 –> 00:17:47,020 Tell this problem to the church. 235 00:17:47,300 –> 00:17:48,640 Now, think about it, folks. 236 00:17:48,640 –> 00:17:52,699 That cannot possibly mean tell it to all believers 237 00:17:52,699 –> 00:17:55,239 who have ever lived in every age, in every place, 238 00:17:55,239 –> 00:17:56,719 it can’t possibly mean that, 239 00:17:56,719 –> 00:17:58,219 so many of them are in heaven. 240 00:17:59,479 –> 00:18:01,959 So what is Jesus referring to 241 00:18:01,959 –> 00:18:04,660 when he speaks about the church here, 242 00:18:04,660 –> 00:18:06,760 to whom a situation is told 243 00:18:06,800 –> 00:18:09,079 when it has not otherwise been resolved? 244 00:18:10,160 –> 00:18:12,520 And the answer is surely that Jesus is speaking here 245 00:18:12,520 –> 00:18:15,439 about a local congregation of believers. 246 00:18:15,439 –> 00:18:17,079 So what I want you to grasp 247 00:18:17,079 –> 00:18:18,819 is that there are only two times 248 00:18:18,819 –> 00:18:21,040 when the word church is used in all of the four gospels. 249 00:18:21,040 –> 00:18:24,780 Only two times when Jesus used this word from his own lips, 250 00:18:24,780 –> 00:18:27,239 and on these two occasions, 251 00:18:27,239 –> 00:18:31,000 he defined for us what church is. 252 00:18:31,000 –> 00:18:36,000 One, that it is the body of all believers 253 00:18:36,119 –> 00:18:38,500 who have ever lived, in every time and in any place, 254 00:18:38,500 –> 00:18:41,079 those who are in Christ. 255 00:18:41,079 –> 00:18:46,079 And two, that the church is a local congregation 256 00:18:46,479 –> 00:18:51,479 of believers who are called out by God to worship 257 00:18:52,239 –> 00:18:55,439 and are sent out by God to serve. 258 00:18:55,439 –> 00:18:58,319 Now let me explain the last part of that little statement 259 00:18:58,319 –> 00:18:59,859 that I put there before you. 260 00:19:01,819 –> 00:19:05,079 The word for church in the New Testament 261 00:19:05,079 –> 00:19:06,680 is the word ecclesia. 262 00:19:06,680 –> 00:19:10,000 It’s made up of two words, ecclesia. 263 00:19:10,000 –> 00:19:11,719 And these two words put together, 264 00:19:11,719 –> 00:19:14,599 their root meaning is basically called out. 265 00:19:14,599 –> 00:19:18,099 That’s what the word means, called out. 266 00:19:18,099 –> 00:19:21,339 The word could be used to describe a gathering, 267 00:19:21,339 –> 00:19:26,339 an assembly, we might say in our day a congregation. 268 00:19:27,780 –> 00:19:32,800 And in the Old Testament, God called out an assembly, 269 00:19:32,939 –> 00:19:36,739 a congregation of people to worship him. 270 00:19:36,739 –> 00:19:39,020 This goes all the way back to the Book of Exodus. 271 00:19:39,020 –> 00:19:42,439 You remember, God said to Pharaoh, let my people go. 272 00:19:42,439 –> 00:19:45,719 Why, why are God’s people to be let go? 273 00:19:45,719 –> 00:19:48,319 What does God redeeming and saving his people for? 274 00:19:48,319 –> 00:19:50,479 Answer, let my people go 275 00:19:50,479 –> 00:19:52,619 that they may worship me in the desert. 276 00:19:52,619 –> 00:19:54,699 I’m calling them out for worship. 277 00:19:54,699 –> 00:19:56,619 I’m gonna meet with them at Mount Sinai. 278 00:19:56,619 –> 00:19:57,920 That’s what God is saying. 279 00:19:59,300 –> 00:20:00,800 And you remember how God’s people believed 280 00:20:01,560 –> 00:20:03,959 and they painted the blood of a sacrificed lamb 281 00:20:03,959 –> 00:20:06,380 over the lintels, the doorframes of their houses, 282 00:20:06,380 –> 00:20:08,140 and God brought them out of slavery 283 00:20:08,140 –> 00:20:09,719 and he took them through the Red Sea 284 00:20:09,719 –> 00:20:11,380 and then he gathered them 285 00:20:13,699 –> 00:20:15,339 at the bottom of Mount Sinai 286 00:20:15,339 –> 00:20:17,619 where his presence was made known to them. 287 00:20:17,619 –> 00:20:20,040 So, the great purpose of the Exodus, 288 00:20:20,040 –> 00:20:22,599 this is foundational to the whole Bible story, 289 00:20:22,599 –> 00:20:26,040 is that God is gathering a people for himself, 290 00:20:26,939 –> 00:20:31,939 a people who will worship him in a real place on the planet, 291 00:20:33,339 –> 00:20:36,900 and God says to Moses, Deuteronomy chapter four and verse 10, 292 00:20:36,900 –> 00:20:41,359 assemble the people before me to hear my words 293 00:20:41,359 –> 00:20:44,660 so that they may learn to revere Me. 294 00:20:44,660 –> 00:20:46,819 You know that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, 295 00:20:46,819 –> 00:20:50,140 but in the Greek version of the Old Testament, 296 00:20:50,140 –> 00:20:52,140 the word that is used in Deuteronomy 4.10 297 00:20:52,579 –> 00:20:57,579 and in many other places for assemble, is Ecclesia. 298 00:20:57,959 –> 00:21:01,040 God says, call the people like Moses. 299 00:21:02,119 –> 00:21:05,939 Gather the people in one place for worship, 300 00:21:07,000 –> 00:21:09,900 call them to be hearers of my word. 301 00:21:09,900 –> 00:21:12,219 Notice how He says that, Exodus in four, 302 00:21:12,219 –> 00:21:14,599 Deuteronomy 4 in verse 10. 303 00:21:14,599 –> 00:21:17,119 And do this so that they will learn how to live, 304 00:21:17,119 –> 00:21:19,680 learn how to revere Me. 305 00:21:20,140 –> 00:21:24,459 So God’s pattern for Israel is that His redeemed people 306 00:21:24,459 –> 00:21:26,380 who He has brought out from slavery 307 00:21:26,380 –> 00:21:27,979 should enter into this purpose, 308 00:21:27,979 –> 00:21:30,800 that they assemble before Him in His presence, 309 00:21:30,800 –> 00:21:33,180 placing themselves under His word 310 00:21:33,180 –> 00:21:37,160 so that God’s people may learn to worship Him 311 00:21:37,160 –> 00:21:40,979 and learn how to live under His authority. 312 00:21:40,979 –> 00:21:42,380 But there’s more. 313 00:21:44,959 –> 00:21:47,920 The Ecclesia, the church, 314 00:21:48,239 –> 00:21:50,280 is a congregation of believers 315 00:21:50,280 –> 00:21:53,400 called out by God for worship 316 00:21:53,400 –> 00:21:57,819 and sent out by God for service. 317 00:21:58,819 –> 00:22:00,199 See, God’s people in the Old Testament, 318 00:22:00,199 –> 00:22:02,380 it goes right back to the beginning, 319 00:22:02,380 –> 00:22:06,199 they were not only called out by God to worship Him, 320 00:22:06,199 –> 00:22:08,800 they were sent out by God to serve Him. 321 00:22:08,800 –> 00:22:10,839 That’s why, for example, in Isaiah, 322 00:22:10,839 –> 00:22:13,239 in chapter 49, God says to His people, 323 00:22:13,239 –> 00:22:16,699 I will make you a light to the nations. 324 00:22:17,699 –> 00:22:21,699 So that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth. 325 00:22:22,739 –> 00:22:26,500 I’ve redeemed you, not only so that you may worship 326 00:22:26,500 –> 00:22:29,540 and live under the nourishment of my word, 327 00:22:29,540 –> 00:22:32,099 but so that you, as a people, may be sent out. 328 00:22:32,099 –> 00:22:33,739 I’m not only going to gather you, 329 00:22:33,739 –> 00:22:35,280 I’m also going to scatter you, 330 00:22:35,280 –> 00:22:37,079 I send you out into the world. 331 00:22:39,500 –> 00:22:43,219 So the Ecclesia, the assembly, 332 00:22:44,420 –> 00:22:46,640 the congregation of the redeemed 333 00:22:47,180 –> 00:22:52,180 in the Old Testament was called out by God to worship 334 00:22:54,459 –> 00:22:56,040 and sent out by God to serve. 335 00:22:57,719 –> 00:23:02,699 And Jesus takes this word 336 00:23:04,199 –> 00:23:09,199 with all it’s rich background of Old Testament meaning 337 00:23:10,900 –> 00:23:15,420 and he says, I will build my Ecclesia 338 00:23:17,400 –> 00:23:21,260 I will build a community of people called out by God 339 00:23:21,260 –> 00:23:23,920 to worship and sent out by God to serve 340 00:23:23,920 –> 00:23:28,479 and that Ecclesia will be visible on earth, Matthew 18, 341 00:23:29,979 –> 00:23:34,979 in local congregations of living believers. 342 00:23:38,380 –> 00:23:41,420 And so writing to the church later in the New Testament, 343 00:23:41,420 –> 00:23:46,500 Peter says, you are a creature of God 344 00:23:46,780 –> 00:23:48,219 a chosen people. 345 00:23:50,579 –> 00:23:51,619 It’s writing to us. 346 00:23:53,339 –> 00:23:55,699 You are a royal priest 347 00:23:57,900 –> 00:23:59,739 You are a holy nation 348 00:24:01,819 –> 00:24:04,060 You are a people belonging to God 349 00:24:04,060 –> 00:24:06,000 for this reason that you may declare 350 00:24:06,000 –> 00:24:08,699 the praise of him who brought you out of darkness 351 00:24:08,699 –> 00:24:10,800 and into his wonderful light. 352 00:24:12,500 –> 00:24:13,619 Once you were not a people, 353 00:24:13,619 –> 00:24:15,060 you were just a bunch of individuals 354 00:24:15,099 –> 00:24:17,219 but now you are the people of God. 355 00:24:18,680 –> 00:24:20,439 Once you have not received mercy 356 00:24:20,439 –> 00:24:23,619 but now you have received mercy. 357 00:24:26,260 –> 00:24:27,439 Think of it folks, 358 00:24:28,859 –> 00:24:31,079 as a local church, 359 00:24:32,239 –> 00:24:35,020 here in this community, 360 00:24:37,099 –> 00:24:41,880 we have been called out by God for worship 361 00:24:42,800 –> 00:24:48,119 and we are sent out by God for service. 362 00:24:49,979 –> 00:24:52,959 Jesus says, as the father has sent me 363 00:24:52,959 –> 00:24:55,239 so I am sending you. 364 00:24:55,239 –> 00:24:57,359 So, if you want to understand the church 365 00:24:57,359 –> 00:24:58,479 try and get a hold of this. 366 00:24:58,479 –> 00:25:02,020 John Stock calls it our double identity. 367 00:25:02,020 –> 00:25:04,819 He says we come to Christ in worship 368 00:25:05,819 –> 00:25:09,780 and we go for Christ in mission. 369 00:25:10,780 –> 00:25:13,520 Think about this, apply it to yourself friends. 370 00:25:13,520 –> 00:25:15,520 Because the church is called out by God, 371 00:25:15,520 –> 00:25:17,800 because that’s true of the local church, 372 00:25:19,260 –> 00:25:23,219 not one of us here today is here by accident. 373 00:25:23,219 –> 00:25:25,640 It is God who gathers the church together. 374 00:25:26,579 –> 00:25:30,219 The church is not a self-selecting group of individuals 375 00:25:30,219 –> 00:25:32,979 that’s very important in our individualistic culture. 376 00:25:34,079 –> 00:25:35,819 It’s never you, me, and a few friends 377 00:25:35,819 –> 00:25:37,560 who we’ll choose between us. 378 00:25:38,339 –> 00:25:42,719 The congregation is gathered by God, not by us. 379 00:25:42,719 –> 00:25:44,359 The church belongs to Christ. 380 00:25:44,359 –> 00:25:47,060 And in the New Testament, he adds to it. 381 00:25:47,060 –> 00:25:50,599 Daily the New Testament says such as he is saving. 382 00:25:52,660 –> 00:25:55,819 So again, Christ uses the word church on just two occasions, 383 00:25:55,819 –> 00:25:57,800 once to refer to all believers 384 00:25:57,800 –> 00:25:59,060 in every time and place, 385 00:25:59,060 –> 00:26:01,859 once to refer to a local congregation of believers 386 00:26:01,859 –> 00:26:03,699 called out by God for worship 387 00:26:03,699 –> 00:26:06,920 and sent out by God for service. 388 00:26:06,939 –> 00:26:09,819 That is what the word church means. 389 00:26:09,819 –> 00:26:12,339 On the lips of Jesus, it’s never used any other time, 390 00:26:12,339 –> 00:26:14,579 there’s no other definition that is given to us 391 00:26:14,579 –> 00:26:16,739 by the Lord, Jesus Christ. 392 00:26:16,739 –> 00:26:18,619 And therefore I’m suggesting to you 393 00:26:18,619 –> 00:26:22,880 that that defines the meaning of the word church for us. 394 00:26:24,520 –> 00:26:28,359 So next time you hear someone chatting loosely about church 395 00:26:28,359 –> 00:26:30,140 or saying, hey, we’re the church. 396 00:26:31,579 –> 00:26:32,579 Just think to yourself now, 397 00:26:32,579 –> 00:26:35,540 which of the two ways in which Jesus used the word 398 00:26:35,599 –> 00:26:38,000 is this person talking or is this person speaking? 399 00:26:38,000 –> 00:26:39,880 Is he saying, we are all believers 400 00:26:39,880 –> 00:26:40,900 everywhere we’ve ever lived? 401 00:26:40,900 –> 00:26:41,819 Can’t be that. 402 00:26:43,119 –> 00:26:46,339 Or is this person saying that, 403 00:26:46,339 –> 00:26:48,459 we are actually a local community of believers 404 00:26:48,459 –> 00:26:52,119 who are called out for worship and sent out for service? 405 00:26:52,119 –> 00:26:53,859 Or maybe this person just needs to learn 406 00:26:53,859 –> 00:26:58,579 what is meant by Jesus in the word church. 407 00:26:59,959 –> 00:27:01,479 I hope you’ve got it. 408 00:27:01,479 –> 00:27:02,420 I hope it would be clear for you. 409 00:27:02,420 –> 00:27:04,459 I hope it will stay with you, 410 00:27:04,459 –> 00:27:06,140 that you know what the church is. 411 00:27:07,040 –> 00:27:09,839 Because we can’t begin to understand what the church does 412 00:27:09,839 –> 00:27:10,979 or what it should do, 413 00:27:11,900 –> 00:27:15,939 until we know what God says it is. 414 00:27:17,959 –> 00:27:22,119 One more comment before we come to a conclusion here. 415 00:27:23,619 –> 00:27:27,719 It’s very fascinating to me and surely very significant 416 00:27:28,819 –> 00:27:32,339 that a local congregation of believers 417 00:27:33,339 –> 00:27:35,619 is never described in the New Testament 418 00:27:35,619 –> 00:27:38,380 as part of the church. 419 00:27:38,380 –> 00:27:41,400 It always speaks about the church in Corinth 420 00:27:42,420 –> 00:27:43,739 or the church in Antioch 421 00:27:43,739 –> 00:27:46,900 or the church in any particular locality. 422 00:27:46,900 –> 00:27:48,839 A local gathering of believers gathered by God 423 00:27:48,839 –> 00:27:50,420 for worship and for service. 424 00:27:52,099 –> 00:27:55,479 Alan Stibbs, who’s a very insightful writer, 425 00:27:55,479 –> 00:27:57,880 has a helpful picture of this. 426 00:27:57,880 –> 00:28:01,439 He points out the fact that 427 00:28:01,439 –> 00:28:03,140 if you go out at night 428 00:28:03,140 –> 00:28:04,439 and you’re looking at the sky 429 00:28:04,439 –> 00:28:07,739 and there’s just a thin sliver of the moon showing, 430 00:28:08,859 –> 00:28:12,819 you don’t say, oh look, there’s part of the moon, 431 00:28:12,819 –> 00:28:14,199 you say, oh, look at the moon, 432 00:28:14,199 –> 00:28:15,040 don’t you? 433 00:28:16,479 –> 00:28:18,939 And let me quote to you from Stibbs. 434 00:28:18,939 –> 00:28:20,180 He is so helpful here. 435 00:28:20,180 –> 00:28:24,780 He says, that the part that is visible 436 00:28:24,780 –> 00:28:27,219 is genuine moon. 437 00:28:28,319 –> 00:28:30,300 And what is more, 438 00:28:30,300 –> 00:28:32,939 it is actually though to us invisibly 439 00:28:32,939 –> 00:28:34,939 united with all of the rest of the moon. 440 00:28:36,339 –> 00:28:39,640 He says, similarly, a local Christian congregation, 441 00:28:39,640 –> 00:28:40,619 that’s what we are, 442 00:28:41,839 –> 00:28:45,400 is genuine church, become visible, 443 00:28:45,400 –> 00:28:47,780 it is body of Christ 444 00:28:48,760 –> 00:28:52,099 and invisibly won in him 445 00:28:53,380 –> 00:28:56,099 with the whole of his body. 446 00:28:56,380 –> 00:29:01,020 Now, I want to close then with two very simple questions. 447 00:29:01,020 –> 00:29:02,859 The first is this. 448 00:29:02,859 –> 00:29:05,760 Do you belong to the church? 449 00:29:07,500 –> 00:29:09,739 Do you belong to the church? 450 00:29:10,760 –> 00:29:14,819 I’m asking today, do you belong 451 00:29:14,819 –> 00:29:19,819 to the great company of men and women and boys and girls 452 00:29:19,819 –> 00:29:23,079 from every age and in every place 453 00:29:23,079 –> 00:29:26,219 and in every place who confess with Peter 454 00:29:26,219 –> 00:29:28,680 and believers all over the world 455 00:29:28,680 –> 00:29:32,699 that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God? 456 00:29:32,699 –> 00:29:36,000 Have you come to the place of saying to Jesus, 457 00:29:36,000 –> 00:29:38,260 your word is truth for me. 458 00:29:39,239 –> 00:29:42,280 Your will is the way for me. 459 00:29:42,280 –> 00:29:46,119 Your grace is life for me. 460 00:29:46,119 –> 00:29:48,479 Have you come to the place of turning away 461 00:29:48,479 –> 00:29:50,160 from wickedness in your own life, 462 00:29:50,160 –> 00:29:52,520 deliberately, consciously, determinedly 463 00:29:52,560 –> 00:29:53,719 and persistently? 464 00:29:53,719 –> 00:29:56,119 Are you ready to come to that place today? 465 00:29:57,380 –> 00:30:00,260 Would you be ready to come to the Lord Jesus Christ 466 00:30:00,260 –> 00:30:02,380 and submit yourself to Him today? 467 00:30:02,380 –> 00:30:05,359 Would you be ready to come to this Lord Jesus Christ, 468 00:30:05,359 –> 00:30:06,680 the son of God? 469 00:30:07,839 –> 00:30:09,579 Would you be ready to come to Him and say, 470 00:30:09,579 –> 00:30:14,339 receive me as the rebel who surrenders to you today? 471 00:30:15,359 –> 00:30:16,599 Would you come to Him and say, 472 00:30:16,599 –> 00:30:19,119 will you embrace me as the skeptic 473 00:30:19,119 –> 00:30:20,920 who believes in you today? 474 00:30:22,599 –> 00:30:23,939 Would you come to Him and say, 475 00:30:23,939 –> 00:30:27,199 Lord Jesus bring me home as the lost sheep 476 00:30:27,199 –> 00:30:30,760 who has been found by you today? 477 00:30:32,920 –> 00:30:37,920 You belong to the church by being joined to Jesus Christ. 478 00:30:38,280 –> 00:30:40,500 I’m asking, are you joined to Jesus Christ 479 00:30:40,500 –> 00:30:43,959 in the bond of living union of faith? 480 00:30:45,239 –> 00:30:46,319 Is He your Savior? 481 00:30:47,640 –> 00:30:50,219 Is He your Lord, is His life within you? 482 00:30:51,180 –> 00:30:53,900 Are you one of those who will be on the last day 483 00:30:53,900 –> 00:30:58,900 in that great uncountable number in Heaven? 484 00:30:59,619 –> 00:31:02,500 I urge you to put your faith in Jesus Christ, 485 00:31:02,500 –> 00:31:04,439 the son of God, just as Peter did 486 00:31:04,439 –> 00:31:07,180 those many, many years ago. 487 00:31:07,180 –> 00:31:08,479 And as for him, it was the beginning 488 00:31:08,479 –> 00:31:11,260 of a whole life of following Jesus. 489 00:31:11,260 –> 00:31:15,280 So it will be for you today. 490 00:31:15,280 –> 00:31:17,079 My last question is simply this. 491 00:31:18,060 –> 00:31:19,540 If you really are a Christian, 492 00:31:21,199 –> 00:31:25,939 do you see today the privilege of belonging to the church? 493 00:31:27,859 –> 00:31:32,680 If you’re in Christ, do you see what has happened, 494 00:31:32,680 –> 00:31:37,680 that God has released you from the tyranny 495 00:31:38,280 –> 00:31:41,060 of sin and of death and of hell? 496 00:31:41,060 –> 00:31:45,420 He has set you free through a new exodus in Jesus Christ. 497 00:31:46,420 –> 00:31:48,719 And he’s called you out 498 00:31:48,719 –> 00:31:51,099 and here He’s gathered you with brothers and sisters 499 00:31:51,099 –> 00:31:53,319 who are around you right now. 500 00:31:54,500 –> 00:31:56,300 To be a community of people 501 00:31:56,300 –> 00:31:59,300 for you to be part of a body that worships Him 502 00:31:59,300 –> 00:32:01,420 and lives under the authority of His Word 503 00:32:01,420 –> 00:32:03,599 in a world that cares nothing for Him, 504 00:32:04,459 –> 00:32:06,420 except to use His name as blasphemy. 505 00:32:08,459 –> 00:32:11,660 Do you see that not only has He called you out for worship, 506 00:32:11,660 –> 00:32:13,680 but that wonderfully He is the one 507 00:32:13,680 –> 00:32:15,459 who sends you out into the world. 508 00:32:15,459 –> 00:32:17,500 You say, oh, Pastor, I live and work 509 00:32:17,500 –> 00:32:19,260 in an incredibly hard place. 510 00:32:19,260 –> 00:32:21,500 Yes, but you’re the light there. 511 00:32:22,920 –> 00:32:24,439 And it may be that if it wasn’t for you 512 00:32:24,439 –> 00:32:25,400 there, wouldn’t be any light. 513 00:32:25,400 –> 00:32:27,160 He sent you to be the light there. 514 00:32:27,160 –> 00:32:29,359 Do you see the dignity of that? 515 00:32:32,439 –> 00:32:37,060 By God’s grace, the church has been called out to worship. 516 00:32:37,819 –> 00:32:42,819 By God’s spirit, the church is sent out to serve. 517 00:32:46,119 –> 00:32:49,040 And the day is coming when, by God’s Son, 518 00:32:49,040 –> 00:32:51,760 the whole church will be taken up into glory. 519 00:32:53,719 –> 00:32:56,260 Don’t you think it is marvelous to be part of that? 520 00:32:57,540 –> 00:33:00,300 One quote and we’re done. 521 00:33:00,300 –> 00:33:02,699 The Heidelberg Catechism. 522 00:33:03,819 –> 00:33:05,500 That sounds heavy, doesn’t it? 523 00:33:05,540 –> 00:33:06,479 Hang with me. 524 00:33:09,260 –> 00:33:10,780 It’s an old document 525 00:33:10,780 –> 00:33:12,459 that some of you were perhaps brought up with. 526 00:33:12,459 –> 00:33:14,359 It has some wonderful words in there. 527 00:33:15,540 –> 00:33:17,959 And I’ll tell you, just reflecting on these words 528 00:33:17,959 –> 00:33:20,780 has moved me to the core of my being this week. 529 00:33:21,800 –> 00:33:23,819 It’s why I read them to you. 530 00:33:23,819 –> 00:33:27,140 It asks the question, what do you believe about the church? 531 00:33:27,140 –> 00:33:28,300 And it gives the answer 532 00:33:28,300 –> 00:33:32,099 that a true Christian believer can give today. 533 00:33:33,020 –> 00:33:35,359 What do you believe about the church? 534 00:33:37,060 –> 00:33:41,660 Answer, I believe that the son of God 535 00:33:41,660 –> 00:33:43,579 through the spirit and the word, 536 00:33:44,699 –> 00:33:47,160 out of the entire human race, 537 00:33:47,160 –> 00:33:50,579 from the beginning of the world to its end, 538 00:33:50,579 –> 00:33:54,859 gathers, protects and preserves for himself 539 00:33:54,859 –> 00:33:59,859 a community of people chosen for eternal life 540 00:34:00,260 –> 00:34:02,119 and united in faith. 541 00:34:03,739 –> 00:34:07,900 And of this community I am 542 00:34:07,900 –> 00:34:12,260 and always will be a living member. 543 00:34:13,520 –> 00:34:18,520 I cannot imagine a greater privilege than that 544 00:34:20,620 –> 00:34:22,699 of this community. 545 00:34:24,459 –> 00:34:27,979 Redeemed from the entire history of the world. 546 00:34:30,020 –> 00:34:34,659 And from every culture by Christ, 547 00:34:34,659 –> 00:34:36,820 through his shed blood, 548 00:34:36,820 –> 00:34:38,620 through the word, by the spirit, 549 00:34:39,979 –> 00:34:43,179 of this community I am 550 00:34:43,179 –> 00:34:48,179 and always will be a living member. 551 00:34:49,979 –> 00:34:51,179 If that is true of you, 552 00:34:51,179 –> 00:34:53,379 you are rich and you are blessed 553 00:34:53,379 –> 00:34:55,439 whatever you face this week. 554 00:34:56,419 –> 00:34:57,459 Let’s pray together, 555 00:34:58,219 –> 00:35:02,159 Father in heaven grant to us eyes 556 00:35:02,159 –> 00:35:05,879 to see your work and your church 557 00:35:05,879 –> 00:35:09,620 not as the world that despises it sees it, 558 00:35:10,540 –> 00:35:13,919 but as Christ who laid down his life 559 00:35:13,919 –> 00:35:18,479 and lives to bring his church to glory sees it, 560 00:35:19,939 –> 00:35:21,540 so that we may be strengthened 561 00:35:21,540 –> 00:35:23,699 and renewed and filled with joy 562 00:35:24,959 –> 00:35:27,080 of the great privileges that are ours 563 00:35:27,679 –> 00:35:29,919 as those who are called out by you to worship 564 00:35:30,800 –> 00:35:34,620 and sent out by you to serve 565 00:35:35,820 –> 00:35:39,020 through Jesus Christ our Lord and everyone said amen. 566 00:35:41,080 –> 00:35:44,399 You’ve been listening to a sermon 567 00:35:44,399 –> 00:35:46,800 with pastor Colin smith of Open The Bible 568 00:35:46,800 –> 00:35:51,800 to contact us call us up 1-877-OPEN365 569 00:35:52,080 –> 00:35:55,540 or visit our website openthebible.org