6) Building A Body And A Family - Zac Poonen
The Local Church: A Pure Bride For Christ Visit our website for more information: www.cfcindia.com
Summary
The central message emphasizes that true Christian life, beginning in the local church and home, requires more than just belief; it demands self-denial and sacrifice in relationships. Salvation is received through repentance—simply turning around to accept God's free gift—and faith, which is reaching out to take it. Furthermore, abiding in Christ means actively walking in the manner He walked, as taught by John in 1 John 2:6.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Can we really live like Jesus?The devil tries to convince believers that because Jesus was God, we can never live the way He walked on earth.
What is repentance?Repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation; it is simply turning around from facing the world to face God and receive His free gift.
Walking as He walkedApostle John wrote in his first letter that those who abide in Christ ought to walk in the same manner as He walked.1 John 2:6
According to your faithJesus healed the blind men in Matthew 9 based on their faith, showing that we receive from God according to what we believe He can do.Matthew 9:28
Paul's view of himselfEven though Paul lived a life with a clear conscience and blameless according to the law, at the end of his life he considered himself the chief of sinners.1 Timothy 1:15
Sin shall not have dominion over youGod's word promises that sin will not master us because we are not under the law but under grace, which acts like a protective roof.Romans 6:14
Emptying your hands to receiveJust like a child whose hand is stuck in a vase because she refuses to let go of a coin, many cannot receive from God because they hold on to their own rubbish.
Jesus made like His brothers in all thingsWe cannot believe we can walk as Jesus walked unless we believe He became fully human and was tempted in every way like us, yet without sin.Hebrews 2:17
Jesus lived under graceJesus increased in wisdom and grew under the grace of God from childhood to death, proving that victory over sin is possible through the same grace.Luke 2:40
Conquering the land step by stepJust as the Israelites conquered Canaan gradually by facing giants one by one, victory over sin is a cooperative process of overcoming the faults God brings to light.
The valley of dry bonesEzekiel's vision of the dry bones coming together through the Word of God pictures how the local church is built and unified.
The church within the churchNot everyone who sits in a church is a functioning part of the body, but God is always building a core group of wholehearted disciples who truly follow Him.
