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LORD, WHAT’S A CHURCH?
From an article written by Ronald L. Dart
We know where Jesus’ mission The crowds of people Jesus saw almost
field was. Jesus “went about all the every day were the Jews of Judea
cities and villages, teaching in their and Galilee. They were worshipers
synagogues, and preaching the gospel already of the one true God, at least
of the kingdom, and healing every nominally. And yet Jesus charac-
sickness and every disease among the terizes them as “lost”. All of them.
people,” Matthew tells us. “But when Mixing his metaphor, Jesus turned to
he saw the multitudes, he was moved his disciples and said plainly that the
with compassion on them, because harvest (the mass of scattered sheep
they fainted, and were scattered in the other metaphor) was greater
abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. than the workers that could be sent
Then saith he unto his disciples, The out to do the job. “Pray for more
harvest truly is plenteous, but the workers,” was Jesus’ instruction to
labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the disciples.
the Lord of the harvest, that he will How could we possibly, then, assume
send forth labourers into his harvest” there is not much more to do because
(Matthew 9:35-38). “God does not seem to be calling
many people right now”?
At any time in the history
of the church, there has
been more to do than
there have been workers
to do it. Therefore, if we
are not fully engaged in
his work and praying
that God will send more
people to help, we are
negligent–perhaps, in Jesus’
own words, slothful.
When the disciples looked
around at the crowds, they
saw people. When Jesus
looked around at them,
he saw people who were
literally lost, like scattered
sheep with nobody out
Pray for the Harvest
?
looking for them. And he saw so
many of them that it was clear there
were not enough laborers to help Pray for the Sheep
them all.
What do we see? In Matthew 9:38 we are told to
pray for helpers because the
When Jesus looked at the crowds
that surrounded him every day and need is great. Praying for the
compared them to sheep, scattered needs of others is intercessory
abroad and without a shepherd, prayer. This type of prayer is a
where did he derive this metaphor? way that many of us can serve
Did it have roots somewhere that his and help with evangelism. Here
disciples might have recognized?
are some additional scriptures
It did, in fact, and in words no one to see for whom intercession
could mistake. The Word of the Lord
had come to Ezekiel with a prophecy was made and how it was done.
against the shepherds of Israel. “Woe ◆◆Romans 10:1
be to the shepherds of Israel that do
feed themselves!” the Word said, ◆◆Matthew 5:44
“should not the shepherds feed the ◆◆1 Timothy 2:1
flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe ◆◆1 Timothy 2:2
you with the wool, ye kill them that ◆◆2 Thessalonians 1:11
are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The ◆◆Ephesians 6:18
diseased have ye not strengthened,
neither have ye healed that which ◆◆2 Corinthians 1:11
was sick, neither have ye bound up ◆◆Matthew 5:44
that which was broken, neither have ◆◆Jeremiah 29:7
ye brought again that which was ◆◆Nehemiah 1:4-11
driven away, neither have ye sought ◆◆Luke 23:34
that which was lost; but with force
and with cruelty have ye ruled them.” ◆◆Philemon 1:22
◆◆Numbers 6:23-27
The prophecy begins with an
outright accusation of rank failure ◆◆Colossians 1:9-12
by the leaders of the people and then ◆◆Psalm 122:6
...Continued on page 9
◆◆1 Samuel 12:23
Planting Seeds
God has given us a mission. He gave it first to the eleven remaining
apostles before His ascension: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world (Matthew 28:19-20). Brethren we have a job to do—it is time for
God’s people to work. The Lord gave the word: great was the company of
those that published it (Psalm 68:11).
In this short article, we want to share with you some ideas of how you
can be one of that company who spread the gospel; but before you begin,
there is one very important thing to remember. Evangelism and church
building are not the same thing. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the
great commission cited above does not say, Go ye therefore and build
my church. On the contrary, Jesus made it clear that He would build
His church (Matthew 16:18). Luke is at some pains in the book of Acts
to tell us that, after Pentecost, “the Lord added to the church daily such
as should be saved” (Acts 2:47 KJV). We plant and water, but God gives
the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6). Don’t expect instant results, just keep
planting seeds. Servants of God must work to God’s timetable and trust
Him for the results that may be out of sight. So, where to begin?
◆YOU! Everyday your words and actions tell your story. Do your
neighbors and co-workers know you are a Christian or would they be
surprised if you told them you were a believer? You need to preach
Christ every day through your behavior. You will be surprised at how
easily you can touch other people’s lives.
◆Know what the Gospel message is. It is Jesus Christ—his birth, life,
death, and resurrection. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Through Jesus Christ there is hope for this lost world.
◆Know your Bible. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be
ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason
of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).
◆Stay prayed up.
◆Lead a neighborhood or family Bible study. We offer several struc-
tured studies with leader’s guides.
4) Ronald L. Dart Ministries • July 2019
How You Can
Advance the Gospel
Are you other than Jesus Christ? It “And not only so, but we also joy in
may seem a strange question, but it is God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
important. It is plain that you are not by whom we have now received the
Jesus Christ. Neither am I. Both of us atonement” (Romans 5:11).
are other than Christ. 4. The church does not sanctify us:
So when Peter said there was no sal- “Husbands, love your wives, even
vation in any other than Jesus Christ, as Christ also loved the church, and
he left no room for you, or for me, or gave Himself for it; That He might
for a whole church full of us to think sanctify and cleanse it...” (Ephesians
of ourselves as saviors. Speaking of 5:25). The church cannot sanctify—it
Christ, Peter insisted: Neither is there must be sanctified by Jesus Christ.
salvation in any other. For there is Besides all these, the church cannot
none other name under heaven giv- regenerate us, nor can it heal us when
en among men, whereby we must be we are sick. And no one has ever sug-
saved (Acts 4:5-12). gested that the church can raise us
Neither of us can save the other. Both from the dead.
of us together cannot save a single Justification, salvation, reconcilia-
soul, nor could a vast assembly of tion, atonement all require the shed-
people just like us. Even though Jesus ding of blood and the church does
Christ may live in us, we are still not not bleed for us.
saviors.
Well, then, does the church play any
Forgive me if I seem to belabor the role in salvation? Indeed it does. The
point, but there are those who believe church is the object of salvation.
that the church is somehow an active The church must be saved, sancti-
agent in salvation. But the church is fied, atoned for, reconciled to God,
not Jesus Christ, and therefore is not cleansed, protected, nourished,
your Savior. taught, led—all by Jesus Christ, who
Consider the following propositions: is the head of the church.
1. The church did not die for us: To cast the church in the role of the
“God commends His love toward one who can save, the one who can
us, in that while we were yet sinners, justify, the one who can make you
Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). right with God, is to put the church
2. The church does not reconcile us in the place of Christ. To make the
to God: “Much more then, being church a savior is to make an idol of
now justified by His blood, we shall the church.
be saved from wrath through Him. All of this needs to be said because so
For if, when we were enemies, we many are confused about the nature
were reconciled to God by the death and work of the church. The church
of His Son, much more, being recon- is not Jesus Christ, even though it is
ciled, we shall be saved by His life” sometimes referred to as the Body
(Romans 5:9, 10). of Christ. It is commonly assumed
3. The church makes no atonement: that this means the church is the fin-
BornToWin.net (7
“Can the Church Save?” continued...
“I wrote to the church”, John contin- There’s more: “We know that all things
ued, “but Diotrephes, who loves to work together for good to them that
have the preeminence among them, love God, to them who are the called
receives us not. Wherefore if I come, according to His purpose. For whom
I will remember his deed which he He did foreknow, He also did pre-
does, prating against us with mali- destinate to be conformed to the image
cious words: and not content there- of His Son, that He might be the first-
with, neither does he himself receive
the brethren, and forbiddeth them born among many brethren. Moreover
that would, and casteth them out of whom He did predestinate, them He
the church” (3 John 1:10). also called…” (Romans 8:28-30).
Diotrephes was trying to “save” the The church did not call them. The
church from these brethren and using church cannot make that kind of de-
excommunication as tool to do it. We cision. Only God can call a person to
might guess at his motives, but John His church.
leaves little doubt. It is one of the very “And whom He called, them He also
early illustrations of vicious church
politics used to retain control. justified: and whom He justified,
them He glorified. What shall we then
Now for some simple questions: say to these things? If God be for us,
Is the church always right? Of course who can be against us? He that spared
not. The assembly we call the church not His own Son, but delivered Him
is composed of people, and people up for us all, how shall He not with
make mistakes. There are elders in the Him also freely give us all things.
assembly who are supposed to help Who shall lay anything to the charge
us, but Diotrephes shows us what can of Gods elect? It is God that justifies.
happen to an elder. No, the church is
not always right. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ
that died, yea rather, that is risen
Are you ever justified in following again, who is even at the right hand
the assembly or the church in doing of God, who also makes intercession
wrong? Plainly, no. for us. Who shall separate us from the
Can you be expelled from the church love of Christ?…” (Romans 8:30-35)
and still make it into Gods kingdom?
Yes, you can. The church cannot give Who indeed? Who can make the de-
you salvation and the church cannot cision that you’re cut off, that you are
take it away. no longer to have access to the love of
Christ? Who can prevent Him from
Those who assume the church can
excommunicate you and somehow interceding with the Father for you?
bar you from salvation have forgotten Is this something the church is sup-
one of the most basic teachings of Je- posed to do?
sus Christ: “My sheep hear my voice, We have always known better. But
and I know them, and they follow me: somehow, for reasons that aren’t al-
And I give unto them eternal life; and ways easy to understand, these fun-
they shall never perish, neither shall damentals slip away from us. Those
any man pluck them out of my hand. things, or people, that were intended
My Father, which gave them me, is
greater than all: and no man is able to to be a help to us, actually become a
pluck them out of my Father’s hand” source of fear: “For I am persuaded,
(John 10:27). that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor
There are no exceptions. No man—
not a minister, not a deacon, not a col- things present, nor things to come.
lection of people, not a church, not an Nor height, nor depth, nor any other
entire assembly of people all of whom creature, shall be able to separate us
claim to be Christians. And you can from the love of God, which is in Jesus
thank God for that. Christ our Lord” (Romans 8:38).
Our Listeners
• Second, to teach the disciples
of Jesus Christ so that they
may be “proficient and
Ms. Donna H. equipped for every good work.”
Hereford, CO (2 Timothy 3:17).
“Thank you for your radio pro-
• Third, to teach and train this
gram on KLTT Denver, CO.
generation and the next with
They are a blessing everyday.”
studies and programs focused
on youth, through the Darts’
Mr. Masa
special passion, Youth Edu-
Togo
cational Adventures (YEA).
“I always find your radio teach-
(Deuteronomy 11:19, Proverbs 22:6).
ings a wonderful inspiration.
It’s really amazing how a min- • Fourth, to bring God’s people
istry like yours can be so pro- closer together, through cooper-
found in touching so many ative efforts wherever they may
lives globally; even in the far- be. (2 Corinthians 5:18).
ther reaches where professing To this end, we teach the Bible and
the love for Christ can bring its Truth, with a goal of helping
on oneself condemnation and people make their own lives work
persecution. At least for now, while they are a positive influ-
I’m grateful to God Almighty ence and blessing to those around
that we in Togo Republic still them. Follow Mr. Dart and CEM
have the freedom to practice @ www.borntowin.net, Facebook,
our faith in Christ. Keep up the YouTube, and other media.
good work.”
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About Us
Christian Educational Ministries (CEM) was founded in November 1995 by
the late Ron and Allie Dart as an independent, non-denominational ministry
to serve the public and individual Christians of every kind. Mr. Dart, was
an ordained minister and evangelist, has served God through hundreds of
sermons, radio broadcasts, Bible Studies, and books. His clear, conversational
style brings clarity and simplicity to difficult Biblical topics.
Ronald Dart’s radio ministry, Born to Win, is broadcast around the world and on
the Born to Win website.
BornToWin.net
Radio
Broadcast Christian Educational Ministries
1-888-BIBLE-44
Listen online at
P.O. Box 560
www.BornToWin.net
August Schedule
1st….................................Kings #12 16th, 17th, 18th...........To Honor God
2nd,3rd, 4th....A Message from God 19th.................................Kings #21
5th...................................Kings #13 20th...............................…Kings #22
6th................................…Kings #14 21st...............................…Kings #23
7th...................................Kings #15 22nd…..............................Kings #24
8th…................................Kings #16 23rd,24th,25th.....Power of the Written Word
9th, 10th, 11th...............Condemned 26th...............................…Kings #25
12th...............................…Kings #17 27th...............................…Kings #26
13th.................................Kings #18 28th.............Israel & the Covenant #1
14th…...............................Kings #19 29th........ …Israel & the Covenant #2
15th...............................…Kings #20 30th, 31st............The New Atheism
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