Why Church

Haggai 2:6 Glory of latter house shall be greater then the former....speaking of end time.Eph. 2:19-22 Church spiritual temple...Christ shall return to.Acts 4:23-24 Function of Church. Church lay member did not go forthwith the message-they backed up, unitedly, the Apostles who were charged with the Great commission. 31-32-loyal to Apostle "one heart one mind" Acts 12:1-5 Prayer for Peter. Backup leaders of Church.
1) To provide a united body of Spirit-led believers to 'back up' the apostles (and evangelists) who had been specially trained to GO FORTH into all the world with Christ's Gospel message. ALL this, was their part in THE GREAT COMMISSION. Theirs was a WORK OF GIVING, giving of their prayers, their encouragement and financial support of the ORGANIZED Gospel WORK. And this is GOD'S means of, and the training ground for:
2) The overcoming of Satan, and the constant development of that holy,righteous CHARACTER - thus qualifying them to sit with Christ on the throne of earth wide GOVERNMENT.GOD'S WAY of developing His holy character was THE GIVING WAY. GOD's way of life is the GIVING way of outgoing LOVE. Satan's way is INcoming self-advantage - hostility to God's way and to His Church.Satan has power to do ONLY what God ALLOWS!GIVING in the Church, he receives an increasing amount of God's Spirit.Jesus has called His people out of the world-to live in-but not to be part of.What you might not know TRULY, it's time we begin to sing - and even shout - "GLORY!HALLELUJAH! PRAISE OUR GREAT AND WONDERFUL ALMIGHTY GOD!" For each day we are just ONE DAY CLOSER to GLORY in the Kingdom of God with PEACE,joy and happiness over all the earth!I have sensed that some of God's ministers felt that THEY were SO STRONG that they were BEYOND BEING DECEIVED BY HIM OR THAT SATAN could actually WORK IN THEM as I have described above. Brethren, I am Christ's chosen apostle, and I know Satan is a thousand times stronger than I. I have to rely on CHRIST, Who is MORE POWERFUL than Satan.Those ministers WENT OUT from us. Satan DID deceive them and WORK IN THEM!But LISTEN CAREFULLY! A DECEIVED man does not KNOW he is deceived. He THINKS he is RIGHT. If he KNEW he was deceived, he would not be, would he? Satan is MORE POWERFUL, and, in addition, MORE CUNNING, MORE CLEVER, MORE SUBTLE, THAN ALL OUR MINISTERS PUT TOGETHER!In Ephesians 2:2 is a very crucial statement. SATAN BROADCASTS! He broadcasts worldwide - as far as there is air. What he is broadcasting is IN THIS SAME ROOM NOW! I don't HEAR it - I don't SEE what he is pushing out OVER THE AIR, as PRINCE of the POWER of the air - but my spirit with my mind Is TUNED to his wavelength.But even though I AM automatically tuned in on his wavelength (as every human is), I'M NOT LISTENING! Because I'm keeping MY MIND CONCENTRATED ON WHAT I AM WRITING AND ON GOD'S MESSAGE IN GOD'S WORD,IN THE BIBLES that lie (two different translations) here beside me on the table.You can tune in on either radio or TV. The SOUNDS come in. THEY WERE ALREADY IN THE ROOM - IN THE AIR - but now you're tuned in on their wavelengths with your radio or TV set; the sounds and pictures became audible and visible. But I can concentrate my mind on SOMETHING ELSE -like THE BIBLE - and focus my mind on THAT, become oblivious to what's coming in on radio and TV. So also I can ignore Satan's impulses. He does not broadcast in words or pictures - neither audibly or in video- but in ATTITUDES of SELF-centeredness, of vanity, lust and greed, of jealousy and envy, of competition, strife and violence, of hate,resentment, bitterness, of rebellion and resentment against authority.We call it HUMAN NATURE but it is actually Satan nature.The spirit in man is merely spirit essence - not a spirit person or ghost - and it cannot see, hear or think. The BRAIN sees through the physical eye. The human spirit acts as a computer, retaining as MEMORY all the facts and knowledge the eyes have seen and ears heard during your lifetime, and it gives instant recall of that knowledge to the brain. With this instant recall the brain THINKS. Thus this human spirit imparts to the physical BRAIN the power of INTELLECT.If we allow ourselves to LET DOWN just a little - in our prayer, Bible study or Church attendance and tithing, we begin to let our minds become interested in the things or ways of this world - TV or movies,perhaps - some have been seen gambling in casinos. Then we wonder why we find ourselves irritable, mentally on the defensive, suspecting others - getting conceptions of competition or division or sides in the Church - suspicious of the motives of others, controversial,cynical, and we do not realize WHAT IS CAUSING ALL THAT! I'LL TELL YOU WHAT CAUSED IT - SATAN WAS BROADCASTING IT, AND BECAUSE YOU WERE NOT VIGILENT IN PRAYER AND KEEPING CLOSE TO GOD AND HAVING GOD FILL YOUR MIND AND HEART WITH THE WARMTH OF HIS LOVE, these negative attitudes of Satan were taking hold of you!That's why GOD WARNS US, through Peter, "Be sober, BE VIGILANT,because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8).Just think of that sentence, LITERALLY. If you were alone and a savage, roaring lion came running at you, you'd be FRIGHTENED to death, to use a common expression. God meant for us to realize that we SHOULD BE JUST AS FRIGHTENED AT THE knowledge Satan is seeking to DESTROY this Church and all of us in it.Peter continues, "Whom [Satan] resist steadfast in the faith..." (verse9).Through James, Christ teaches us: "Submit yourselves therefore to God.RESIST THE DEVIL, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you..." (James 4:7-8). He meant for us to TAKE HEED!Yes, it IS possible - maybe Satan is using YOU - and you DON'T KNOW IT!CLEANSE US from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).



Use God's word to counteract Satan as Christ did in temptation.Spiritual fuel...feed on it. Concentrate and focus on it.