LET'S HAVE CHURCH

LET’s HAVE CHURCH!
R. D. Ice

[When we look back some years, we are impressed by the faith & power of the Gospel of Christ - Crucified, Risen, Coming again! Some today have pulled the plug on power, Christian love, holy joy, and the fruit of The Spirit. Paul warned: "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." Look back with me to those days of glory.]

It was just before WWII in one of the large cities of the South. Trucks rolled into the inner city and the crew began putting up the Gospel Tent on the vacant lot where the Circus came each year. Loudspeaker vans went through the city streets blaring the congregation singing: “There’s POWER In The BLOOD.” The song leader’s voice could be heard shouting: “Gospel Meeting tonight in the big tent! Everyone come!”

And people did come. A rainbow of ethnic groups. Many of the poor and dispossessed. Some in suits & ties. Old people and young children and those in between. But they came and they filled the Gospel Tent. Finally everyone was seated on the rickety folding-chairs.

“Let’s all sing!” shouted the song-leader. “Everyone join in and sing as loud as you can!” He began singing: “Would you be FREE from the BURDEN of SIN? There’s POWER in the BLOOD!’”

The people sang with enthusiasm! “POWER, POWER, Wonder working POWER, in the BLOOD, of the Lamb, there is POWER, POWER, Wonder working POWER, in the Precious BLOOD of the LAMB!”

They were lifting the VOICE of JOYFUL PRAISE to the Lord. Would the Apostle Paul have done what this tent evangelist was doing? Read what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, and compare Philippians 1:15-18.

Brother Ed, the Evangelist, stood up to speak. “Glory to God!” he shouted. “The Bible says Jesus came so that the world through Him might be saved! I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL! There is POWER in the BLOOD!”

“Let’s have CHURCH!” he shouted. He waved his Bible in the air. “Let's have CHURCH! - Unashamed! With Power! Jesus- Worshipping! Sin-Busting! Devil- Chasing! Bible-Loving! Saving! Renewing! Praising! and With All The Joy The Holy Spirit Provides!!!”

(And I remembered 2 Timothy 1:7. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”)

Brother Ed continued: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of how Christ died and rose again from the dead! Jesus is a Hero! He rescued us from sin and death. The real Day of Atonement was that Day when Jesus was Nailed to the Cross. The Lamb of God took away the sin of the world! Jesus said that when He was lifted up on the cross, He would draw everyone to Himself. Everyone who believes Jesus was raised from the dead will come to Him!”

Brother Ed said: “I have never heard anyone say, ‘When I studied geography my whole life changed.’ But I do know that when I studied Jesus Christ I was set free from sin! I don’t beat my wife or abuse my children. I am honest and pay my debts. I try to do good to everyone. The love of Christ fills my heart and soul! I want to share this Love with everyone who will listen!”

“Church, let’s have POWER! When God’s people of old prayed - things happened! Elijah prayed and God turned off the rain for three and a half years. Elijah prayed again and the rains came down. Every Christian has the authority to PRAY! Let everyone who is FREE IN CHRIST come to the Foot of the Cross in prayer and praise and let us lift ONE VOICE to our GOD!”

“It is time for a Christian revolution,” he shouted! “We are in the battle for the hearts and souls of mankind! If God crushed Satan beneath the feet of the Christians at Rome [Romans 16:20], HE certainly is able to do the same today if we reach up to Him in prayer. God is saying, ‘By thy faith command thou Me!’ When we believe and then ACT - our God will do what we cannot do!”

Perhaps we do need a more aggressive faith (not an arrogant faith); certainly a more joyous faith. The Tent Evangelists came into an area and practiced “Guerrilla Evangelism.” People would come to a tent service who would not consider going to a “church.” On Pentecost in Acts 2, crowds of people were reached and 3,000 were baptized into Christ that one day. Thousands more flooded into the Kingdom and the Jerusalem Church grew to perhaps 100,000 believers. When these people were scattered by persecution in Acts 8, they took CHRIST with them everywhere they went! Like gasoline poured on a fire, these believers exploded the Gospel of Christ across the First Century world. Certainly God-The-Holy- Spirit was enabling them [Compare Acts 1:8,14].

The Gospel is the POWER of God at work - saving all who believe and obey! The Word of Christ cannot fail! Revelation 7 speaks of the great number of the Saved!

A huge crowd of people,
too many to count them all,
standing in front of
the Throne and the Lamb.
They are from every race
and language, every nation
and tribe, dressed in white,
the sign of Victory!
Who are these? Where do
they come from?
They came through the
terrible persecution.
They’ve washed their robes,
scrubbed them clean
in the blood of the Lamb.
They stand in praise and worship
standing in front of the Throne,
serving Him day and night,
in the Eternal Temple.
The Lamb is in the center of
the Throne. He will shepherd
the people of God, and lead them
to Eternal spring-waters of Life.
No more tears, no sickness,
no sorrow, no persecution,
no death! All is new!
Oh, Yes! I’m on my way!
I’ll soon be there!
Come! Lord Jesus!

God-The-Holy-Spirit is vital to the life of Christ’s church. Note John 7:37-39.

Jesus stood
on the final day of the Feast.
“If anyone thirsts, let him come
to Me and drink.
Rivers of living water
will brim and spill out
of the depths of the one
who believes in Me.”
Jesus said this about
The Holy Spirit Who
would be given when
He - Jesus - was glorified
in the Cross and Resurrection.
God has made Jesus both Lord and Messiah!

If you sewed together arms, legs, a body and a head, you might make a “baby.” But without the “spirit” it would not be living. In every generation a Movement arises that seeks to duplicate the New Testament church of the Apostles. They install elders and deacons, and all the known programs of the apostolic church. They set in order baptism and the Lord’s Supper. But without the life-giving Holy Spirit it is just a copy. The church is built for a “habitation of God through the Spirit” [Ephesians 2:22].

Alexander Campbell stressed “head” religion. If we merely impart knowledge of the scriptures and biblical principles, we have not made them “spiritual.” Barton Stone stressed “heart.” The Eunuch went on his way rejoicing. We need both “head” and “heart” in our life in Christ Jesus. It is said of those first Christians: “Praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

No person or institution has the power to produce spirituality in someone. There are no shortcuts. Only God The Holy Spirit does that. We need to stress the “renewing of the Holy Ghost” [Titus 3:5] “which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” The Holy Spirit Himself makes intercession for us [Romans 8:26-28]. Christians are being changed into the “same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord." [2 Corinthians 3:18]

We Christians have been sanctified and we must live holy lives as living sacrifices to God [Romans 12:1-2]. The God who called us is holy, and we are to be holy too in our conversation/ conduct [1 Peter 1:15-16]. We Christians are to shine as lights in this dark world [Matthew 5:16]. Our hearts are to be full of Christian love, holy joy, and all the fruit of the Spirit! [2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7; Galatians 5:22-25; Romans 8:31-38].

We remember You, Lord Jesus,
in the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Meal.
Your body of flesh was nailed
to the cross, Your blood was
poured out for the sins of us.
Your death and resurrection
is the atoning sacrifice for sin.
You are the Scapegoat who
carried away forever the sins
that have been forgiven.
You purged our sins and sat down.
You give us the authority to say
Abba, Father, to God the Almighty.
You make us joint heirs with Yourself.
Oh God, our God, how majestic is
Your Name above all the earth!!!