The nature of the Church

I remind you that we are taking time on these Sundays to meditate on aspects that define our Congregation, they are issues that help us understand the type of church we attend. Why do we believe what we believe? Why many times we are a church that has its complexities and that, as I said last Sunday, we unite and unite different elements that today are seen in different sectors of the body of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God has given his revelation through the centuries and even in our time to different segments of the church, the Pentecostal segment, the evangelical segment, and many other biblical Christian groups, and that we do well to learn a little from each of them. those segments of the church and unite them all in a spirituality that reflects those complexities of the church.

And so, one of the things that I feel we need to talk about is what is the understanding of this Congregation, of this pastor, of the leadership of this church concerning what the church of Jesus Christ is, and what a Congregation is, what it's a church with a small i too.

So I'm going to talk about the church with a capital I, the universal church of Jesus Christ, and I also want to talk about the church with a small i.

The nature of the church. And the first thing we can ask is why does the church of Jesus Christ exist in the world? What is the mission and vision of the church? First let me say something, the church of Jesus Christ is that community of men and women who have been called, that is what the word church means, where the word comes from ─ from the original ecclesia. That community of men and women who have been called through the centuries and from different nations to be a community saved by Jesus Christ, by the blood of Jesus, which exemplifies the values of the Kingdom of God.

That is the church of Jesus Christ essentially. Now, that church exists for certain purposes. You have a mission and a vision to fulfill here on earth. What are the things that the church does? What are the purposes and tasks?

What do we exist for? What functions do we carry out as the church of Jesus Christ? The first thing, I would say, that the church on earth does is worship and work for the glory of God. We exist primarily to glorify the Lord, many things are done in the life of the church, tithes are given, evangelization is done, many things, but ultimately as a community we exist to give glory and honor to the Lord. And everything that we do, the efforts, the missions that we undertake, the life itself that we live, I would even say that our agonies, our sufferings and even our falls, when we repent and come before the Lord, all of this ultimately results in instance in glory and honor to the Lord.

But the church has to be a worshiping community, it has to be a community that knows that we exist to give glory to the Lord. This afternoon, for example, when we were here in this time of praise, I know that we were fulfilling something that is very close and very dear to the Lord. And it is when his people let go and give him glory and mention the attributes of God and recognize all the beautiful things of the Kingdom of God, and our hearts open in adoration of the Lord. God likes that.

Imagine that at that time we were in fellowship with literally millions of Christians all over the earth worshiping the name of the Lord. Because somewhere in the world at 12:30 and 1:00 when we were adoring the Lord, somewhere it was 9:00 in the morning, 10:00 in the morning and there was a Congregation that was beginning to worship the Lord.

And do you know something? That the church of Jesus Christ never ceases to worship, because if you look 24 hours a day somewhere someone is getting up when someone is going to bed. And somewhere in the world there is a man or a woman who is getting up to go to work and is worshiping the Lord while another is going to bed, coming back from work. 24 hours a day God's people are always worshiping the Lord.

How gorgeous! Think that. The praises from the church never cease, rising before the throne of the Lord. Because there is always someone, there are always communities adoring and glorifying the Lord. There is always someone fasting, there is always someone declaring the lordship of Christ on earth. We are a worshiping community, and in all that we do, always remember that, that ultimately the church exists to worship and to bring glory and honor to the Lord.

First Peter, Chapter 2, let me do a quick read here. We will be going to the word. First Peter 2:5 says:

“…You also ─ we, church ─ as living stones be built as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…”

That is what we were doing this afternoon, offering spiritual sacrifices to the Lord, through that worship. But now, as I proclaim the word in this verbal form, I too am worshiping the Lord. And while you listen, you are worshiping the Lord too. That is to say, that the church is a machine of, so to speak, of adoration and glory for God.

In addition to that, we too are called to proclaim the Gospel, we are called to continually announce the truths of the word of God. He knows that the church is an institution and not just an institution but a community that is always declaring the word of the Gospel to the world. We are doing it by evangelizing souls, first of all. We declare what Christ did on the cross, we declare that he died and rose again for our lives.

And when I made calls this afternoon, after worship, why do we insist on making calls and bringing souls to Christ and starting them on their Christian walk? Because that is one of the greatest responsibilities that the church has and you and I, our lives, must always be lived as instruments for others to come to know Jesus Christ.

I hope that our church will never have to rely on artificial ways of doing evangelism. Because? Because our members, the members of this Congregation are evangelists each one of them. Remember that when you invite a co-worker or a family member to the house of the Lord, you are providing an opportunity for that soul to order his life with Christ, receive the Lord, start a new path in the Lord.

So there's always an opportunity, and it doesn't just have to be the pastor who makes the call, you can do it at work. If you see that someone is hungry and has given you an opportunity to talk about Christ, present the Gospel to him, invite him to pray with you, invite him to give his life to the Lord. You can do that continuously. The church is an evangelistic community.

In First Peter, Chapter 2, verse 9, it says:

“… But you ─ again, referring to us, the church, ─ you are a chosen lineage, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…”

All of those are definitions, in fact, of what the church of Jesus Christ is. “…a people acquired by God so that you may announce ─ there is a proclamation ─ so that you may announce the virtues of him who called you out of darkness into his admirable light…”

We have to always be proclaiming what God did for us. That is the best evangelistic word, what God did for me. Give people testimony of how God changed your life, how God impacted your life.

But we as the León de Judá Congregation will always insist on proclaiming the Gospel and we will have to give place to that aspect of our life as the church of Jesus Christ in all the things we do.

A third function that the church of Jesus Christ has is to preserve the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles until Christ comes the second time. Do you know that as a church, we have been made custodians of the word of the Lord, the revelation of God that is in the Scriptures. The church has been entrusted with the administration of the truths of the Gospel contained from Genesis to Revelation.

We have the care of that treasure and we have to preserve it exactly as it was given to us. We cannot change it, we cannot take away or add to it, we have to be faithful to the word of the Lord and you know what? Another thing, we have to defend that revelation of God.

Why do I say this? Because in the time in which we live the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being subjected to all kinds of perversion, being diluted, being readjusted. The Bible says that the day will come when they will itch to hear and will not be subject to the word of the Lord and they will look for teachers to speak to them according to the desires of their hearts and we are in those times right now.

And the church of Jesus Christ has to stand up and say, we are going to defend the revelation of God and we have to speak that pure word. That is why, once again, in this Congregation we will always try to preach a Gospel that reflects the complexity and content of the word of the Lord. We're not going to take what we see, the fashions we see out there, or what people like to hear, or what sophisticated people want to hear when they come to church. We want to guard God's revelation exactly as it has been entrusted to us. Amen.

And we have to contend for it. If we see wherever there is a false doctrine, even if it looks a lot like the original doctrine, we have to clear that up and point out what is truly of God and what is not of God.

There is a passage in Jude, verse 3, because Jude only has one Chapter, how many knew that? Jude is the shortest book in the Bible, it only has one Chapter and in verse 3 of Jude, it says:

“…It was necessary for me to write to you exhorting you to fight ardently, ─ look at how we have to relate to the word of God in this time. Do you know what it means to contend ardently? It means fighting tooth and nail. Because? ─ … by the faith that has been once given to the saints…”

In other words, the Gospel was announced only once and we already received it and now we have to preserve it exactly as it has been revealed and if we have to fight to defend it in the sense of arguing, clarifying, confronting, we do so. Because we must defend the revelation of God at this time when that revelation is being subjected to all kinds of false adjustments and heresies.

The Apostle Paul, in fact, declares it in an even more serious way in Galatians, Chapter 1, in verse 8, he says there:

"... More if even we or an angel from heaven ─ imagine - announce to you another Gospel different from the one we have announced to you, be anathema..."

That means, be damned. That's the truth, be damned. And he repeats it once more, "... as we have said before, I also repeat it now, if anyone preaches to you a different Gospel from the one you have received, let him be anathema..."

Preserving the integrity of the Gospel is serious business, brothers. And that is why many times we will have to preach a Gospel that people will not like. I have always regretted it but I think it is a legitimate price to pay. Our church could have a number of very important people, well involved in society, and in culture, and in politics, if I were to dilute a little bit the Gospel that we preach.

There are many people who come here and say, oh, León de Judá is a church that has social services and fights for social justice. And again, they think we're a more liberal church than we are and then they stumble across a teaching from the pastor and say, oh no, I'm leaving here because I didn't like what the pastor preached.

But amen, it is the price we have to pay, glory to God, because our desire is not to please the flesh, but to please the Lord who entrusted his Gospel. And we have to be faithful to the word of the Lord. It doesn't matter that whoever doesn't like it doesn't like it, when people enter through the doors of the church they have to adjust to the doctrine of the church, not the doctrine of the church to the people, no matter how richer, more important, more intellectually developed that they are, it does not matter. The church of Christ is the nurse of humanity and has to proclaim the truth of God even if the devil gets upset and does what he wants. So we preserve the teachings of the word of God.

Another thing we do is make disciples. The church exists to make disciples, to instruct, and to prepare the saints for the service of the Gospel. Look what Ephesians says, Chapter 4, verses 11 and 12.

"... And the same, God himself, constituted some Apostles, other prophets, other evangelists, other pastors and teachers..."

Why did God do all this? Why did God create all this series of important people in the economy of the church, pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets? Says:

“…in order to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…”

What do I preach for? Why does this church exist? Why do we have discipleship classes? To prepare you for the work of the Lord's service. Many people come to church and believe that the church exists, rather to pass their hand over it, console them, mourn them, as we Dominicans say, chinearlos, as Guatemalans say, and dry their tears. All of that is good, it's important, but you know what? People must come to church to be equipped to serve Christ Jesus, to be teachers, to be evangelists, to serve the work of the Lord.

And the church has to provide people with the tools they need to be effective witnesses of Jesus Christ and servants of God. That is the main function of the church. That's why, brother, sister, you have to change your scheme. Many people grew up in the church and for them their model was, well, I go to church to cross myself and, I'm not alluding to any religion or anything, I go there to be 20 minutes, do a few things there quickly and then I go to my house and I come back the other Sunday and do the same.

No, the church is a school. The church is a hospital. The church is a place of formation. The church is an army, it is a training place where people come, receive word, receive teaching, receive restoration from God and then leave healthy to serve Jesus Christ and be instruments of God.

And that is why our church emphasizes discipleship so much, the preparation of our children, the cells, the development of leaders so that they can be useful and effective people for the work of the Gospel.

Another function of the church is to transform the world. He knows that the church exists to change society. We are here to be leaven. The Lord said that the kingdom of heaven is like yeast that enters the dough and it is something small. Leaven is a small thing, but when it enters an immense mass, it leavens the whole mass, penetrates it and inflates it, makes its effect felt in it. And that is what the church is. The church is a transforming agent.

That is why we have to blend in with the world, while preserving our identity as Christians, but we have to always be agents of change in the world. The church confronts injustice, confronts immorality, confronts war, confronts poverty, disease, everything that is contrary to the blessing of God, to the bright, life-giving element of the Gospel is the enemy of the church and the church declares war against it.

And the church exists to change the structures of society. We are salt of the earth, we are light of the world. We have to affect society and affect culture, and that's why we have to be part of an effort. I believe that God calls his church, at this time like never before, to change the world and not settle for simply announcing the Gospel spiritually, but we have to affect governments, we have to affect the public health sector, we have to affect the financial sector, we have to declare the word of God and what God wants to all those segments of society.

God wants us to be life transformers. I want to see young people, adults, get involved in the politics of this city and this nation, evangelicals, convinced, prepared like Joseph who entered Egypt and changed society, because he had God's anointing on him.

We have to enter all those areas, in the police, in the army. I believe that in all these areas there should be Christians living a vital, passionate Gospel and being salt and an example for all those sectors of society. We are a culture.

And that's also why our church believes in community involvement and in all the things we do. This week our brother, Pastor Samuel Acevedo, I couldn't go, but Samuel went on our behalf, he was sitting with 6, 8 people at a table with the governor of Massachusetts, talking about issues of social justice and criminal issues and All this. Praise God that our church can figure in that place and affect and declare what the church of Christ thinks about those issues.

And we have to be involved in those things, because God has called us to that. As Second Corinthians Chapter 10, verses 4 and 5 says:

“…Because the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but powerful in God for the destruction of strongholds ─ and look here what matters to me, he says ─ tearing down arguments and all haughtiness that rises against the knowledge of God and taking captive every thought to the obedience of Christ Jesus…”

In other words, wherever there is a philosophy, a system, a government, a practice that does not conform to God's truth, we have to be there working to change it and bring it into subjection to God's truth. We have to contend so that the words of the Gospel become real in all aspects of society. We are agents of transformation like the church too.

Another element of the church is that we have been called, and this is something mysterious, we have been called to testify to the principalities and powers of the plan of salvation and the wisdom of God.

One would say, well, the demons are already damned to hell, so we don't have to say anything to them. Why do you have to tell them something? You know what? Because it glorifies God when his people announce to him and show the demons that Christ is Lord and that God is seated on his throne and that the world belongs to Christ and not to them and that they were wrong when they messed with God, They tried to replace him.

We have that function too. and you say, well, Pastor Miranda, where is that? Turn with me to Ephesians, Chapter 3, verse 10, it says there:

“…So that the manifold wisdom of God may now be made known through the church to principalities and powers in heavenly places…”

Wow! Do you understand how sublime the function of the church is in that sense? That we have been called, even the demons themselves, Satan himself, to announce Jesus Christ is Lord.

When we got involved in that time of worship that we gave glory, honor to the Lord, and said, you are the Lord. We are saying that to Christ, but we are also saying it to principalities and powers. We are telling you, you have false claims. Satan is not lord of this world, Christ is Lord.

And the church with its life, with its way of relating to one another, we declare the lordship of Christ over principalities and powers.

Two more little things that the church does. Modeling a redeemed humanity before the world. He knows that we have to be an exemplary community. If you read the vision of our church it says, to be an exemplary church that exemplifies the best values of the word of God.

The church of Christ in its experience, in the way we relate to each other, we treat each other, the way we live, we are a sign and we are an example to the world. And we say to the world, look, this is the way those who have been touched by the blood of Jesus are supposed to live. When the church lives as Christ has commanded it to live, it exemplifies what God intended this world to be when he created it.

That is why it is important, brothers, that the quality of our life, when we relate to one another, exemplifies something different from what is found there in the world. That is why we Christians must be the most well-spoken people in the world, we must treat each other with generosity, meekness, we must forgive each other, tolerate each other, love each other, support each other, if someone falls, instead of giving him a kick so that it goes more to the floor, we lift it up, we restore it.

If someone offends you, instead of saying, don't worry, I'll catch you around the corner, you forgive him and ask God's blessing on him or her. If someone made a mistake and offended you, you are the first to seek reconciliation with that person and forgive them.

In the Christian community there should not exist, brothers, hypocrisy, gossip, sticking a knife in the back, the law of a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye, abusive words, manipulation, rancor, withholding the offense, speaking ill of each other, nakedly criticizing each other. The church of Christ has to be a model for humanity.

right yes? Amen. At least one sister agrees with me. Because by doing that we are modeling the world. How sad it is when people come to church and see exactly what they see in the world, and say, hey, what am I there for? I enjoy more out there and I don't have to be with all the other limitations. People when they come to church must be intrigued, wow, how did these people reach such a spiritual and moral and ethical height?

For me this is very important because when I talk about holiness and we are going to dedicate a sermon about it in the future, I am thinking not only of holiness in the sense of holiness with hair, pants and paint, as many churches say for over there. No, I'm talking about the totality of the Christian life, the vertical, moral part, with God, but also the horizontal part, the way we treat each other and our fellow men.

For me the Christian life has to be, the struggle, the agony for me of the Christian life is that part of how can I submit my flesh to the character of Jesus Christ? How can I be like Christ more each day? that is what causes me agony because I never get to it. And every time the old man, who is not so old, is alive and kicking inside me, he comes out and manifests himself and I have to push him back to go back where he came from.

That is what makes the Christian life truly agonizing. It's very easy to say, well, I don't commit adultery, I don't steal, I don't kill, I don't smoke, I don't get drunk. Ah, but how difficult it is to subdue the self, how difficult it is to subdue the mouth, for example. The Apostle Santiago says that the language is small but it creates terrible disasters in the world.

And so, all the other appetites of the flesh and the deformations of character. That is the real war in my life and in yours too, just in case. That is why we have to model a redeemed humanity. Look what First Peter says, 2:11 and 12, says:

“…Beloved, I beg you, as foreigners and pilgrims, to refrain from carnal desires that battle against the soul, keeping your way of life good among the Gentiles, so that what they murmur about you as evildoers, glorify God. God on the day of visitation when considering your good works..."

How nice! That when people see us and consider the way we live, they glorify God and say, I surrender, I throw myself at the feet of the Lord, yes, definitely, here is Christ.

We have to live a life like this and that is the biggest battle and we have to fight it, model a humanity redeemed and transformed by the power of God before humanity and before the devil too, who is ashamed when he sees us live as we live. Amen.

And the last thing the church does is provide fellowship and support for believers. Coinony, do you know that word? Communion, community. The church should be a place where the lonely find company, where the brother, the sister who left their children in Central America or South America or the Caribbean and is alone here eating a cable, find someone to invite him, come to my house We are going to have dinner this afternoon. Come with me.

How many brothers at the end of the service have to go alone? Invite someone to your house. Hospitality is something wonderful, it is a Gospel value. The church of Christ should be a place where we cry with those who cry and we laugh with those who laugh, we celebrate with those who celebrate.

As I was saying last Sunday, I was so happy these days when a couple of families lost their loved ones, and how nice it was to see those brothers and sisters visiting people who were dying in the hospital, consoling those who had lost to a father, to a mother, going to the cemetery in very cold temperatures, declaring the love of God to those families. That glorifies the Lord. It's good when we don't see someone because the pastor can't do it ─ sometimes I don't know who is there, who isn't, but you possibly know because you have a smaller group of people.

If you see a sister, a brother, who you haven't seen in church for days, don't wait for the pastor, call him. Pray with him or her. That is why, for me, the cells are so wonderful, because they are small communities where people love each other, support each other, build each other up, educate each other, disciple each other and express the love of Christ to each other.

A church has to be a family place. Sometimes we spiritualize, oh, God bless you, brother, sister, but you call him a friend, he is your friend, because brother, it is a word that is used so much, but God wants us to be friends too, to love each other, to let's communicate In a church like ours, so diverse, so many nationalities, socioeconomic levels, two services, so many things, it's easy for people to get lost in the crowd. Be you a shepherd. Worry about someone, call someone, pray for someone, invite someone to your house to eat. The church has to be a place of support and co-ordination, of love for one another.

First Peter 4:8 says:

“… And above all, have fervent love among yourselves ─ fervent love among you ─ because love will cover a multitude of sins… ─ and look at what it says here – because we can understand it, fervent love among you. It is a very spiritual language, but look, he goes and inserts the knife a little deeper, he says, -…host one another without gossip…”

Ouch, that really hurts. Invite someone to your house and sit them at your table and cook for him or her, without grumbling or grumbling. No, no, do it with pleasure. The Bible says that some hosted angels without realizing it. Who knows how many little angels are disguised as ordinary people, when you invite them to your house you have the presence of God there. Someday we will be surprised when we see that little sister who seemed all disheveled and receives us with an angelic presence and tells us, come and enter the house of the Lord. An angel in disguise was there.

"... host one another without grumbling, each one according to the gift he has received, minister it to the others as good stewards of the manifold grace of God..."

How nice! We have to be a host community. God wants that fellowship, that support among believers.

There are two models of the church. You ask yourself, well, why Pastor Miranda, why the leaders of this Congregation, why does this church move the way it does? And actually, this is one of the things that I most wanted to work with you.

I see in the Bible and I also see throughout history in the different manifestations of the church, and of the churches, as two types of church. And by the way I tell you that I subscribe more to the second model that I am going to present to you in a moment. And I think that as you understand this, I think you will understand me a little bit more and how we deal with many things.

There are two models of church in the world. There is a model that sees the church as a holy, pure community, set apart from the world, that exists to glorify God, and you have heard that this is all I have preached so far. But this church model kind of emphasizes that and focuses on that. The church as a holy and pure community. The holiness church kind of focuses more on that aspect of the church. It is a community secluded from the world. They view it as in vertical shapes.

That type of church has clear requirements for membership, and participation privileges, it is a church that has a doctrine, it emphasizes the doctrine a lot, clear, well-defined teaching. And if you want to take the sacrament you have to be baptized, you have to have gone through a class of 6 months or 3 years, you have to have done a number of things. And if you committed a sin before coming to church that Sunday, you can no longer partake of the sacrament. It has clear requirements, privilege sharing, and has strong discipline for those who violate its bylaws as well. There are clear rules, there are well-defined patterns and you will say, well pastor, what's wrong with that? There's nothing wrong.

As I say, it is rather the emphasis. This type of church is a static church, it is a church that personally, I am perhaps exaggerating a little, but I rather want to isolate these elements so that you understand.

Generally that church is not very flexible. It is a church that is monolithic in its composition, second point. Because? Because normally in a church like this, so strict, so rigid in its patterns, many people will come but they will not feel comfortable, because normally in a community where new people are coming, there are many things that are not in order. There are people who have not married and are living together. They have had but have never arranged their life in that sense. There are people who are dealing with struggles and tendencies to so many different things. Minds that have not yet been touched by the Lord, addictions to drugs, alcohol, family lives that are in disarray, doubts about God, distortions of the world out there, divorces, cohabitation, sexual disorder, a number of things, a lot of Those people are hungry for God but if they come to a church and find a very rigid, very square church, those people say, no, man, I don't fit here. And they go.

So, that type of church is a church that always kind of stays small and the type of person that fits in it is a very defined type of person, it doesn't have a lot of new people. They specialize because of that idea that the path is narrow. They like that verse, narrow is the path and there are few who enter it, and they feel very happy because they are within that narrow path. Unfortunately, the narrow path does not fit many people on it. They are conservative churches.

Now, I tell you, brothers, there are many elements there that I appreciate, I love and I am going to dedicate a whole sermon only towards holiness, so I am not going to tell you when so that you do not stay at home. I want to talk about holiness, the utmost importance.

The church is a pure, holy community, pleasing to God. but if that is the defining element of the church, that many times creates distortions in the whole of life that incapacitates it to do other very important things that the church has to do in the world as well.

Now, there is another model. It is a second model, and again, I tell you, I am exaggerating a little to make the difference clearer. And I'm telling you that many of those elements I appreciate because, again, I want to be redundant on that so there's no misunderstanding about what I'm preaching.

Now, the model to which I subscribe, as your pastor, and which I believe is what this church ─ that is the official doctrine of the Lion of Judah. If you hear something different in a cell or if you see a different model, understand that this does not represent the feeling of the senior pastor and I think the ethos, the feeling of that church in general.

The second model is of the church as an evangelistic community, dedicated to bringing the unsaved by using creative methods and expressing flexibility in order to be attractive and bring people to a knowledge of God.

I believe that Christ has left his church in the world to be an organism of conquest and evangelization in the world, bringing people to the knowledge of Christ. And in this process, the church adapts, it does not change the Gospel as I said at the beginning, but sometimes the way of expressing it changes, it is flexible to see if it attracts the greatest possible number of people.

Now, within that emphasis, he knows that he has to glorify God, he knows that he has to live a holy life, he knows that he has to do spiritual warfare, he knows that he has to perpetuate the word of God and all these things, but I believe that Christ he left his church here in the world, as he said before, to be salt of the earth, to possess, conquer, establish the banner of Christ and attract the world to the Lord.

And in that process, if we want to do that, we have to be, as the Lord Jesus Christ says, cunning as serpents, meek as a dove. We have to contextualize the Gospel, we have to be folksy people. We have to smell the people out there, because if the unconverted comes here and smells only little angels, I assure you that he will not smell them, because there are many of us who need treatment from the Lord, he says, no, this is not for me.

The church has to smell the humanity out there, that when they come they recognize themselves in us. I imagine that the Lord does not coexist with sanctimonious people, because I believe that the Lord was a man, and he is a simple, simple being, easy to access.

Look how he approaches Plunder. Looting is a criminal, corrupt, but he has something in his heart that tells him, I need forgiveness. And Saqueo does not dare to approach Jesus, he climbs a tree hoping to see this being who has given him hope. Plunder will have said, I will settle for just seeing him when he passes through the crowd because I don't even deserve to touch the edge of his cloak.

And there goes the Lord walking with his disciples and the crowd following him, and at the moment he realizes, here is this man, and he says to him, Plunder, get down from that tree, prepare me a sancocho that I am going to go to your house tonight to have dinner with you And there is the Lord sitting, talking to the publicans and I imagine, even telling some of the best jokes that have been heard in the entire history of the universe, because if anyone could tell a good joke, I imagine it was Jesus Christ.

And there are the Pharisees eating a cable and upset because the Lord has not applied the four laws of the Gospel to them and has not called them to repent sinners. And here comes Sacking, he gets up shortly after the meal and says, gentlemen, God has touched my life, and I want to tell you that if I have stolen from someone, I will return it to you, first I will distribute half of my goods to the poor, and if I have stolen from someone I will give it quadruple. Not only am I going to give it back, but I am going to multiply it.

The Lord had not fired a single shot, but what moved the hearts of Plunder and his friends? The love of Christ.

Listen to me, I have learned that, brothers, that many times, yes, many times what people are looking for is not for you to read them a three-point sermon and a poem. What people are looking for is to see your life in Christ, your passion for the Lord, what Christ has done in you, and an attitude of love, mercy, compassion, easygoing, you can't believe the last Coca Cola in the desert . You know that you are also a repentant and forgiven sinner and when people see that, they throw themselves at their feet and say, where do I have to go? I want to give myself to the Lord Jesus Christ.

If the church were thus more transparent, more accessible, I think we would have already conquered the whole world. I believe that you seek a healthy spirituality, a simple spirituality, not a stratospheric spirituality with so much artificiality, that this is what will throw the world out.

Now, we have to be holy, pure, clean, but not affecting a holiness that, in reality, does not even please the Lord.

I see that the Lord was like that, he was simple, easy, accessible. And we have to do the same. First Corinthians, Chapter 9, I hope you are not bored, brothers, I hope you are receiving from the Lord. I know that time passes but these are teachings that we have to treasure in our hearts. We have to take time to express the word of the Lord.

Look how Paul, what was Paul's position, First Corinthians, Chapter 9, verse 19 Paul says:

"...Therefore, being free from all, I have made myself slaves to all to win as many as possible..."

What was it that determined Paul's ministerial style? The desire to win as many people as possible to Jesus Christ. He lived for it. Says:

“…I have made myself to the Jews as a Jew to win the Jews. To those who are subject to the law, although I am not subject to the law, as if I were subject to the law, to win those who are subject to the law. To those who are without law, as if I were without law, not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, to win those who are without law..."

In other words, sometimes look, you have to use creative methods to win someone to the Lord Jesus Christ. I am going to tell you a secret, the other days a businessman, for long things to explain, I invited him to eat in gratitude for things he has done in favor of construction and the church. He is a sophisticated man who has been blessed by the Lion of Judah ministry and has told me several times about how God is working in his life because of the exhibition. An American, gringo, gringo, of those 6 feet 4 inches.

The case was that we were in an environment and look, because of those long things to explain, at that moment when it was time to eat and serve the food, I think he felt a bit ashamed to pray in public and you know that? I felt from the Lord not to pray for the meal but to continue the dialogue and provoke him into a spiritual conversation. Some would say no, it is that you are the pastor, you have to pray and bear witness. Look, the whole conversation that night was about the Lord, in one way or another. And I don't think that necessarily at that time I was sinning if I chose not to pray. Sometimes you can make people uneasy and why haven't you prayed? Pray, please, and they will beg you to pray. Lead people to want you to tell them about the Gospel.

Sometimes we tire people out and alienate them with insistence, instead of waiting for God's timing. and embody in our lives the integrity of the Gospel, the beauty, harmony and joy, the peace, the ease of the Gospel.

I know that perhaps you disagree with me, but sometimes I prefer to use a zen style, if you don't know, don't worry what I mean by that, but I prefer to use a form contrary to what is expected to provoke in the restlessness so that they wonder why this person lives the way he lives.

And I have discovered that this has its benefits and has its ─ this man, I know that his life has been transformed, and this man is going to give his life to the Lord. I am seducing him little by little to bring him to the Gospel. You have to use creative methods.

That is why Paul says, “…to those who are without law, as if I were without law. I have made myself weak to the weak to win over the weak..."

That's not to say, you're not going to go to a brothel now to win over people who… No, no, don't come up with that. The idea is that when you see something, a complex in a person, a weakness, look, identify with them. Do not come affecting this superiority, this security, this super spirituality, believing that with that you are going to... no, on the contrary, you are going to alienate him and you are going to say, no, I can never live like this man. He is already almost with his feet in heaven and here I am on earth struggling with my humanity.

No, also show him his weak side, his skinny side. I believe that we have to be transparent, we have to be flexible, we have to be easygoing, we have to be humble and human instead of affecting a spirituality that we don't even have, brothers, that's the truth.

Identify with the people and talk about your own struggles and how Christ is working to heal that part of your life. Communicate victory and hope but also tell him about your battles and in this way you communicate a real Gospel, flesh and blood, that people can identify with.

He says, “…I have made myself weak to the weak, to all I have made myself everything so that I can save some anyway…”

Paul said, look, in any case, if I can enter a soul into the Kingdom of God, if I have to twist in 8, I will do it so that it enters the ways of the Lord.

I think that is what I see as the type of community with which I identify this church. That type of church pays the price in terms of its discipline and clear and flexible bylaws. That is, you will have to pay a price. The walls are going to get a little dirty when people come who are not completely covered by the Gospel, but what? We put a little more paint on the walls, that's all. There is a price, sometimes we have to get uncomfortable, as I said before, that everything we do we have to do with a view to those who enter the church.

Why does Paul say? Look, the languages. Hold them. Hold onto the manifestations of the gifts when they are in the Congregation, because if someone comes from outside, an unconverted person, an unlearned person who can digest what is happening among you. And that is a sacrifice for some of us who are more passionate and who want to be continually worshipping. We could spend 6 hours here today and there's no problem, but most human beings are not like that, and the church has to find a balance to make the advancement of the Gospel possible.

So, that type of church is in perpetual process, attracting new people and not discipling. That type of church is dynamic, aggressive, has a diversity of maturity and bylaws, and is multigenerational. It is capable of reaching different generations and it is capable of existing through the years, as a conquering church, which is always renewing itself and growing and bringing in new people, and grappling with human reality in all its manifestations.

How many understand what I'm saying? I identify more with that model, although I also believe that within that model we have to insist on holiness, we have to insist on being separated from the world.

One of my favorite verses that always haunts me is that verse that says, “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your understanding. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, that your true worship…”

I believe in all that, but I believe that the church is a community above all, conquering, militant, aggressive. That is why the word says that the kingdom of heaven grows strong and the mighty take it by force.

The idea is that the Gospel advances like an iceberg, little by little, but it covers everything, breaking mountains, knocking down... many of those great mountains that you see in the north, in Maine, and that, are the product of great maces of ice that advanced a quarter of an inch every century, but over several thousand years, they were pushing everything in front of them, and they were pushing the land and that land piled up and became many of the mountains that we we see today, the canyons, all this.

And that's how I see the church. The church of Jesus Christ is two thousand years old on earth and proceeds little by little, but it must move forward and break everything that gets in its way and configure it according to God's purposes on earth. And we have to have that vision of the Gospel in order to be the church that Christ wants us to be. A church must be zealous for the glory and holiness of God, first.

Second, you must be active in your community. It must be multigenerational, like I said. You must be flexible to attract the unsaved. You must have a pastoral heart, patient and with a long-term vision for the people who are being worked by God. sanctification is a long process. I am going to talk about holiness and sanctification. And it must be adapted to its context.

I finish with this, say glory to God. Brethren, let me tell you something, the church of Jesus Christ will be here until Christ comes. The church has been entrusted with the difficult task of being a steward of the revelation of Jesus Christ until the second coming. The church custodies the gifts, power, and authority of Jesus Christ on earth. The church confronts the world with the truth of God and the values of the Kingdom of God.

The church has to be a prophetic presence in the world, confronting evil, confronting injustice, confronting everything that stands against God's truth. and the church has to move with authority and realism, not being finicky or mystical about sin or purity.

We have to be real. We minister to people of flesh and blood, people who are permeated by sin. The church is a hospital, the church is a place of treatment. Here come the people who are cured of all that sin that has stuck to them in the world. And we are all here struggling, including the one who is speaking to you, to be pleasing to the Lord. And we have to treat ourselves with that humility, that simplicity, that transparency, that patience, that long-term vision.

A saint takes a long time to produce itself, brothers. It is not taken overnight. And the church has to be realistic. We are war medics. We're on the battlefield, bullets are flying at us, we don't have time to do an operation in a totally perfect place and we open up the body and do what we can and move on.

And the Lord is happy with that. Alright. He has delegated a difficult task to us, but if we are too finicky, sometimes I think we exaggerate how delicate God is. God is delicate but he is also strong and he knows that his children have a difficult task to do on earth. And he works with us.

Finally, the church is an institution that incarnates in the world, that is, we land on earth and mix with history, with time, space, institutions, laws, governments, finances. That is the reality of the church. We deal with all of that.

My understanding of the church is that it's a robust thing, it's a heavy thing, it's a strong thing, it's a real thing and we have to be that way with each other and treat each other that way. And therefore, the church has to move as it is, we have to submit to the laws of the world. We are in the world, Christ said, give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.

We are in the world, we are not of the world, but there are conditions that the world imposes on us. We are a legal corporation, for example, and we have to deal within that.

Now, while we recognize that we are in the world, we also know that we move on top of the world, and that our values are not those of the world. Our power, as Paul says, is not the power of the world, but are spiritual weapons, of light. And our internal life must reflect the values of the Kingdom of God.

Brothers, that is the community that we must be as a church, it is the community that Christ wants us to be. I ask the Lord that our church can reflect that complexity of the church as the word of the Lord reflects it.

Let's stand up. I ask the Lord ─ we are going to ask the Lord that León de Judá always be a multifaceted, multiform church, that reflects the word of God in all its complexity, that we be the church of Jesus Christ as the Lord wants it, an exemplary community, a transforming community, an evangelistic community, a restorative community, a community of mercy and truth. God help us to be that church for the glory of the Lord.

Father, we deliver this teaching to you and we ask that these words become props for this Congregation and for me, as its senior pastor, and for every pastor, every leader, every service, every ministry of this church. We surrender to you, Lord, on this day. Keep working in us and make us a community of worship, a community of holiness, a community of evangelism, a giving and generous community of service to you, Lord. Keep purifying us, keep dealing with us.

We adore you and we bless you. Thank you for all you have done today and what you will do, in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Brothers, may the grace and peace of the Lord be with all of you. God bless you.