5 Essential Components of a True Church

I did not say this earlier in our scripture reading time, my greeting time, to be in prayer for the Stovalls. They are on vacation. And it reminds me of the fact that we have so many in the life of our church who can teach and preach and even lead and worship. And I'm thankful for Jared and his efforts, and some of you probably did not know that Jared could play and sing and lead. And I'm also thankful for so many others in the life of our church who are participating in our music ministry. We have more and more instrumentalists and more and more vocalists, and it's a blessing to me. I hope it is a blessing for you.

Now if you would take your Bible, turn back to Matthew chapter 16. I know I read verses 13 to 20 earlier, but we will really be there in verse 17, primarily in verse 18. Now this morning and for the next few weeks, I want us to look at a few local church matters that have been on my heart and mind for the past month or so. In years past, I have carried on this series title called Messages from the Pastoral Heart. You could include these messages in that kind of a title. These are messages, these are topics, these are subjects that have been on my heart, and I feel like we need to look at these things. And these are good things.

These are very good things, and these are topics and issues that are about the growth and the progress of our church. First of all, this morning and next week, we are finishing up our 2025 budget, along with some other budget projects for 2025. And I am excited about the decisions we are making about God's money. Have you ever thought about that? The money and monies that we deal with in the life of the church? That's God's money. But every dollar and every project and every decision represents growth and progress in our church, which is God's church. Also, in the next two or three weeks, we will be presenting some new church members.

We have had quite a few come through our membership process this past year. Some have come to saving faith and have been baptized and will be baptized, while others are believers that God has brought to us. But each person that is becoming a member represents growth and progress in our church. And then third, I will take one, maybe two messages and lead us through some of our church membership teaching and materials. And my goal here is twofold. With the new year that is before us, I want to remind us of the seriousness of church membership.

And I want to bring us all to a place of renewing our commitment to our church membership and to the covenant that we make when we become a member of Grace Life Church. And look, this is church growth as well, because this is a part of our sanctification and maturity in the faith and in the life of the church. And then last, I will be bringing a plan before our church to potentially install additional elders. I say potentially because you, the members of Grace Life Church, make the final decision in these matters. It's not about what I say or what the elders say. We are elder led and congregationally governed.

And all of you know that I've been the pastor of Grace Life Church for 14 years or so. Keith has served as an elder alongside me for almost the same amount of time. But our church has grown immensely since we moved five years ago or almost five years ago, and especially in the last three or four years. And so our leadership needs have changed. So I will be presenting a plan to potentially install a couple of much needed elders. But before we get into any of these things, I believe it is important to start off by looking at what Jesus says about His church from Matthew 16, verse 18, and these other verses.

Here in verse 18, Jesus gives what I see as five essential components for a true church, and these are non-negotiables. These are critical for the life and the health of the church. And I believe that this material and this message and how we will revisit this message in the next few weeks will raise the bar and set the standard. And it is our responsibility to meet those standards and live those standards. Now, before we get into the message, I want us to quickly see what's going on in our verses that are before us. This is some quick background, our context, and this will help some of you, I believe.

But here in chapter 16, we have a big turning point in the earthly ministry of Jesus. Now, let me mention a few things. For the very first time here in chapter 16, Jesus mentions the church, but He does not just mention the church. He gives some very important information concerning the church. I have already said that He gives five essential components of the church. So this is much more than a casual mention of the church. Also, this is the first time that Jesus spoke openly about His death on the cross. Of course, we see that Peter rebuked our Lord for saying that He was going to the cross to die.

Now, for me, Peter right here is a great encouragement. He was a hero when he properly confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, but then He went to a zero real fast when He rebuked Jesus after He told them that He was going to go to the cross. This is an encouragement from me because if God can use Peter, who could be so right one minute, but yet so wrong the next minute, well, God can use me and God can use us. But more specifically in verses 13 to 20, we see quite a few things here. Here the text says that Jesus had taken His disciples into Caesarea Philippi, which was Gentile territory.

And there He asked His disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" In response, the disciples said that the people had been speculated about who Jesus was. Some saw Jesus as John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the other Old Testament prophets. But Jesus asked that question again, but the second time He directed it right out His disciples. He said, "But who do you say that I am?" In response, we see that Peter stepped forward and he confessed that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God. That would be the promised Messiah of God.

And our Lord then explained that Simon Peter was blessed of God because those facts had been revealed to him by God. And right after, our Lord makes this loaded statement where He not only mentions the church for the very first time, but He gives five essential facts concerning the church. Now, I want to read our verses again, but we will focus on verse 17 and 18 throughout the message. Let's read them together.

"Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets, or Old Testament prophets.' And He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' And Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' And Jesus answered him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell or Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys, the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' And then He strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that He was the Christ." Now, let's take these essential components one at a time, and then we will see how all of this teaching relates to the things that are before us in our church in our day. So number one, we see that the church has a permanent foundation.

The church has a permanent foundation. This is the first component of a true church. That is a permanent foundation, which is none other than the person of Jesus who is Lord over His church. And get this. This is non-negotiable. You can say it like this. This is black and white. This is not up for debate. Now, let me explain. We can be in error in certain ways in the life of the church, and we can still have an acceptably healthy church. We can even have a church where God is moving and working greatly. But if Jesus is not Lord over a particular church, well, you really don't have a true church but a false church. And get this.

If a local church chooses to move away from this permanent foundation, then you are left with a church that is built upon something else. It could be built on a man or a group of men. It could be built on music and entertainments. It could be built on some kind of a political movement or social movement or social need. Really, the list can go on and on there. But in the case of a true church as opposed to a false church, the first component is a permanent foundation who is Jesus. And that is what we see here in verse 18.

Jesus says, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church." Now to see this permanent foundation, we have to notice two small but very important details that are seen in the language here. First of all, Jesus changes Peter's name and he describes him as a rock. Now earlier in verse 17, Jesus referred to Peter's given name which was Simon. But in verse 18, Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter. In the English name Peter in the original Greek language in which this was written, that word is Petros, and Petros actually means rock or small stone or small piece of stone.

But then second, here Jesus refers to himself as a rock. In verse 18, Jesus says, "And I tell you, you are Peter, that word Petros, and on this rock I will build my church." Now whereas with Peter in his name, Jesus uses the word Petros, and speaking of himself, Jesus uses a different word in the Greek word Petra. And this word Petra has a similar but different meaning. Petra means bedrock or large stone or large rock, and it speaks of a large immovable and even permanent stone. So what we have here is this. Jesus was saying and doing two different but related things here.

First he was changing Simon's name to Peter, which meant rock or stone or a piece of a stone, and he was saying that Peter was and would become a rock of a man, but a small stone or a small rock of a man. But then second, Jesus was declaring that he would build his church upon himself. He was saying that he would build his church upon the Petra or the large immovable, that permanent stone. So this is what Jesus was in his saying, and I'm putting all of this into my words, just how I see it in my imagination.

He was saying, "Simon, Simon, you have confessed me as the promised Messiah, which is true, and I am changing your name from Simon to Petros because you are and will become a rock of a man, a small piece of the rock, but upon the Petra, upon myself, I will build my church." So contrary to what our Roman Catholic friends may think and teach, Jesus was saying that the church would be built on himself, not Peter. And we see this fact taught all throughout the scripture. The Old Testament prophets said that this would be the case. We see this in Psalm 118, verse 22 and Isaiah 28, 16.

Isaiah says, and I'm quoting the verse, "Therefore thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I am the one who is laid as a foundation in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation whoever believes will not be in haste.'" Jesus said this of himself in other places. We see this in Matthew 21, 42. Jesus said to them, and I'm quoting the verse, "Have you never read in the scriptures?" Of course, he's referring to the Old Testament, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes." We see this in the preaching of the apostles in the book of Acts.

In Acts 10, 11, Peter himself says, and I'm quoting the verse, "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders which has become the cornerstone." We see this in the Apostle Paul as well. In 1 Corinthians 3, 11, Paul says, "For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus." So what we see here is this. Jesus clearly and emphatically says that He is the permanent foundation of the church. The language tells us this fact that we see here in verse 18. The Old Testament supports this, and the rest of the New Testament clearly tells us that Jesus is the permanent foundation of the church.

But then number two, the church has a mighty expectation. The church has a mighty expectation, and here we see the second component of a true church. And notice, this involves a person and a people. Now in the original, this word for church here, it's ecclesia, which simply means a gathering of people or an assembly of people. This word was used in their day to describe all sorts of gatherings in their day. I'll give you an example. It was common in their day to use this word to describe a gathering of city officials, things such as that.

But in the New Testament, this term ecclesia came to mean the assembly of believers or the gathering of believers. But the simple truth is this. The church is people, and sometimes they are not as godly as they should be. And I mean true born again believers. But here we see a different personal involvement. Notice who Jesus refers to after he speaks of Peter. He says, "I." He says, "I will build my church." Now here we see a seeming contradiction. We see two sides of the work of the church. On one side, Jesus calls and expects and commands his people to do the work of the church. But on the other side, Jesus says that he will do this work.

Let me give you a couple of examples. In the Great Commission found in Matthew 28, 19-20, Jesus says, "Go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold I am with you always to the end of the age." And here I think that we can see man's responsibility in the work of the church. But we see a hint of the work of Christ when he says that he would be with them.

But when we go back to Matthew 16, 18, Jesus clearly says, "And on this rock I will build my church." And here we can clearly see the work of Christ Jesus in the work of the church. He says he will build his church. So notice what we see here. It is Christ Jesus who is doing the work of the church in and through his people when they are a spirit-filled, spirit-led people. Let me repeat that. It is Christ Jesus who is doing the work of the church in and through his people when they are spirit-filled and spirit-led. Now right here we need to see this very important warning.

This is not man partnering with Christ Jesus to do the work of the church. Let me repeat that. This is not man partnering with Christ to do the work of the church. And that is the way many people view the work of the church today. This is Christ Jesus himself, the Lord of the church, working in and through his people to do the work of the church. And this is possible because he has first redeemed them and second because they are living Holy Spirit-filled and Holy Spirit-controlled lives. So notice what we should realize here. Jesus, our Lord, is personally involved in the work of the church.

He said, "And on this rock I will build my church." And he does this in and through spirit-filled, spirit-called, spirit-empowered believers. So we should expect great and mighty things. We should have a great and mighty expectation as we approach the life and the work of the church. But then number three, the church has a sole owner. We see here that the church has a sole owner, and this is the third component of a true church. Now, this is really sad and a brutal fact, but we live in a day when it seems that so many different people or families or groups seem to control the church and even own the church.

And that has really been a problem all throughout the ages. I'll give you a couple examples. If we study the Gospel of John, we see that in the Jewish and Roman trials of Jesus, that was when he was arrested, that the Jewish leaders thought that they owned kingdom work. That would be God's work. If we look into church history during the Protestant Reformation, there was a revolt against the Catholic churches seeming ownership over the church and God's work. But no matter if we are in Jesus' day or in the days of the Protestant Reformation or today, we need to see who the true owner of the church really is.

Now, there are two passages that will help us here besides what we see in verse 18. First, in Acts 20 verse 28, Paul was warning and preparing the elders of the church at Ephesus. And he said, and I'm quoting the verse, "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to care for the church of God." Notice which he obtained with his own blood. Here Paul was warning the Ephesian church elders about troubles that were coming their way into the church. But notice he said that Christ Jesus purchased the church with his own blood. And of course, he's referring to the cross.

And this phrase obtained here, it is in the emphatic placing an emphasis on the fact that he, that's Christ, purchased the church with his own blood on the cross. But then the second verse, and this one will surprise some of you. In Ephesians 5.25, Paul says, "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." Here is Paul was teaching on husbands and wives and Christian marriage. He used Christ's purchase of the church as an example. So here in Ephesians 5, we see the same truth that is taught in Acts chapter 20 verse 28 and Matthew 16, 18. But third, let's go back to Matthew 16, 18.

Jesus says, "And I tell you that you are Peter, small stone, and on this rock, large stone, bedrock stone, he says, 'I will build my church.'" And notice what can clearly be seen here. Christ Jesus is the paid in full sole owner of the church. The church is his possession. And that is why he says, "My church, my church." Now, I don't know about you, but if you write in your Bibles, I would encourage you to highlight that word "my," underline that word "my," circle that word "my," because it is very important.

But in case there are any doubts here, we see other language and other verses that speak of the ownership of the church belonging to Christ. In 1 Corinthians 3.23, we see that Christ is the redeemer of the church. In Ephesians 1.22, we see Christ as the head of the church. In John 10.14-15, we see Christ as the chief shepherd of the church. Simply, he is the owner, he bought the church, and he bought us because we are the church, and he bought us with his own blood on the cross. Now, think about this sole ownership. Along with this mighty expectation, through his personal involvement, think about this.

He owns the church, and he declares that he will build it. Do you see that? He owns the church, and he clearly says he will build it. This reminds me of a little book that I have studied, and we have studied together in years past. It's a book by Richard Mayhew that is titled, "What Would Jesus Say About Your Church?" And he says it this way, and I'm putting all of this into my words. He says here, we have a positive expectation and a powerful advancement because we have this paid in full ownership of the church. Well, that leads us to number four. The church has a people priority. Number four, the church has a people priority.

So here we have the fourth component of the true church. Now, so far, this has all been about Christ Jesus. He is the permanent foundation. He will build his church. He is the sole owner. Notice it's been all about Christ, but now we shift to who the church actually is. We have touched on this some. Now, there are two ways I want to flesh this out. First, this word "church." Now, I've already touched on this, son, but here in verse 18, we have this word "church" used for the very first time in the New Testament. And the meaning of this word in the original, "eclacea," it means those called out, those who are a called out assembly.

And all throughout the New Testament, the New Testament pictures the church or the eclacea as those who have come to saving faith in Christ. They have been delivered from sin and from the kingdom of darkness, and they've been delivered to the kingdom of Christ Jesus. And they were called to Christ, and they were called to one another as an assembly. Simply, the church is a called out assembly of the redeemed. The church or the eclacea are those who have been called to Christ and to one another by and through the power and the work of the Spirit. But then second, we see this almost in the entirety of the New Testament.

The book of Acts records the birth and the development of the church. Acts is the history of the first church and beyond. And then our study of Acts on Wednesday nights, we have already covered the birth of the church there in Jerusalem in Acts 2. But a couple of questions. The book of Romans, who was that written to? A church. First and second Corinthians, those two letters. Who were those letters written to? A church. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Those letters, who were those letters written to? Churches. First and second Thessalonians. Who were those two letters written to? A church.

First and second Timothy and Titus. Who were those letters written to? You might say, "Pastor, I've got you there." Those were pastors. Yes, those were pastors, but they were pastors in local churches. So you get the idea? Simply, you cannot understand the New Testament unless you understand the entire backdrop and context of the New Testament, and that is the church. It's all local church related. So a question. What's my point here? The church is people. They are the called out ones. The church, they have been called to Christ and in the saving faith.

They have been called to one another and to the work of Christ in the church, and they understand themselves to be the people of God, the ecclesia of God. And then number five, the church has a victorious future. The church has a victorious future, which is the fifth component of a true church. Now, if we look at church history, some of you are students of church history, at least a little, but if we look at church history, even for a moment, we see what I call the ebb and the flow of the church.

If we look at church history, we see the struggle of the church and the success of the church, and this reminds us of one fact that we must understand and remember. Simply, the church here on earth is flawed. Yes, the church on earth is comprised of the redeemed, but the redeemed are still sinful people, and on top of that, the enemy does put lost people in and among the church. To refer to the parable of the wheat and the tares, we see that he puts tares or weeds among the wheat. And while on earth, the church always faces both external struggles and internal struggles.

External forces such as persecution and the world are always working against the church. External forces of sin and sinfulness are always working against the church as well. And then internal struggles, such as bad doctrine may come into the church, false converts and false leaders may get into the church and disrupt the church internally as well. So at times, it seems like we see the defeat of the church. While at times, we can see the great spiritual success and the victory of the church, this is the ebb and the flow of the church here on earth. But we must see that the church overall is victorious.

And there are two ways I want us to see this fact. First, Jesus said it. What did he say? I will build my church. And notice, this is a definitive statement. This is not a maybe or a hope so. This is a definitive statement, and Jesus cannot fail. And if Jesus cannot fail, then his words cannot fail. He said that he would build his church so it will be so. And then second, Jesus said, "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Now, question, what does this mean? There are certainly many misconceptions here, and even errors here, but this is rather simple.

In the Old Testament, the term "gates of" was commonly used in connection with what they saw as "sheo." And this was tied to the Old Testament understanding of death, the punishment or the realm of the dead. So Jesus was reaching back to this Old Testament language and belief and simply saying, "Death cannot overpower his church." So notice what we have here. Jesus promises victory for his church. Jesus declares that his church has a victorious future. He said that he would build his church, and even death in Hades cannot overpower his church. And this victory is secure because he said it.

And this victory is secure because he personally brings it about as he works through his called-out people, the ecclesia of God. And just as his person is real, so are his words and so are his actions. So he, that's Christ Jesus, will do this work because of who he is and the fact that he is Lord. Now, here I want to make some application from these five essential components of the church. We need to see that we should react to this teaching properly. We should receive these things no matter what. First, Christ Jesus is the permanent foundation of the church. Now, I do believe that Christ Jesus is the foundation of Grace Life, Brookhaven.

Now, there was a day when we were Nola Baptist Church, and when I first went to Nola Baptist Church back in 2010, that church had been hijacked by men and men. But with God's help, we were able to take back that which belonged to Christ Jesus in the first place. And the challenge for us today, and especially the leadership, is this. We must never subvert Christ Jesus as the permanent foundation of our church. It can happen. It does happen. But as the pastor, I must make sure that never happens, and then other leadership behind me must make sure this never happens.

But then second, we must have a mighty expectation of what God can do in and through our church. And if we do not, we need to be corrected. Let me say that again. We must have a mighty expectation of what God can do in and through us, our church. And if we do not have a mighty expectation, we are wrong, and we need to be corrected. Jesus said, "I will build my church." It's clear. I will build my church. So our desire must be to be a people that He works through as He builds His church. And if we're not, it could be that He will move over and use someone else. And look, folks, the obstacles that we have here are minor.

The obstacles that we have here are minuscule compared to some of the obstacles that we've had in the past. The obstacles that we have here really would be our low and faulty views and expectations. And I'll be honest with you, folks, I am optimistic, and I'm excited, and I'm expecting God to do great things. We are planning for God to do great things. We are praying for God to do great things. Many of you know that a part of our 2025 budget in dealing with some of our budget money surplus is we're setting some money aside for a future fund for a building, and we should pray for great things here. Why? Because God desires to build His church.

But then third, we must see and never forget that Christ is the sole owner. Again, Richard Mayhew says He has a paid and full ownership. So that means that we dare not tamper with this institution that was bought with His own blood. Now, I will share with you something here that might seem strange, but if you ponder over it for a little while, I think you'll see where I'm going. With many churches, I believe God is mad. Listen, folks, Christ Jesus paid for the church with His own blood, and if men and man take over ownership, if any person takes over ownership of that which Christ paid for with His own blood, then God is mad.

Remember the churches found in the book of Revelation, those seven churches? Our Lord Jesus did not wink at sin in the lives of those churches. And then fourth, we must remember that people are the priority of the church. Christ's church is people. People are the priority. Christ first and other second, that is our priority list. And I think we need to be reminded of two things here. First and foremost, God brings all different types of people into the church and around the church, and we have no right to discriminate in any way. And then second, there are more people out there who need Christ and they need the church.

And I'll tell you, one of the things that we did faithfully, wonderfully, especially in our years of the rebirth of our church, is we love people. It didn't matter who they were. We loved the saints that God brought, and we loved the sinners that God brought, and we must always remember that the priority of the church is people because the church is people. And then fifth, we must see that we have a victorious future. Death, hell, Satan, nor his demons can stop the church when it is in control of Christ our Lord. Think about it. Drugs can't stop the church. Broken homes can't stop the church.

Too many dirty children in the life of the church, they can't stop the church. All of the wickedness of culture cannot stop the church. Homosexuality in the LGBT community, they cannot stop the church. Muslims cannot stop the church. Hindus cannot stop the church. Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses cannot stop the church. Laws formed against us by government cannot stop the church. The Democrats can't stop the church, and the Republicans can't stop the church. But it is the leadership and the people of the church that can hinder and hamper and stop the church. You see that?

Again, I think about the churches in the book of Revelation, those seven churches. We know that two of those churches did not receive any rebuke, but the others received rebuke. And if you look at those churches, you see that the Lord Jesus held the pastors accountable, and it is implied that it is the other leaders as well. It's the leadership and the people of the church that can hinder and hamper and ruin the life of the church. Now, I want to share some thoughts just from me, and then I want to bring about some challenge and challenges for you. The church is the only institution that Christ Jesus died for. He did not die for the family.

He did not die for earthly government. Now, He instituted all three, the church, the family, and government, but He purchased the church with His own blood. The church is the only institution that He entrusted with kingdom work. Jesus did not commission a denomination or a mission society or a theological movement with kingdom work. He did not commission Christian media and Christian radio or the fellowship of Christian athletes or campus crusade for Christ with kingdom work. Jesus personally handed kingdom work over to local churches, and we see that all throughout the New Testament.

Now, here as your pastor, for me and my family, we are living and dying by the church. Now, I know I look 25, but I'm actually 55. I came to faith in Christ in 1989. My spiritual birthday is right around the corner, and I've been in ministry for 25 plus years. But in all those years of ministry and serving the Lord, I have died a thousand deaths to a thousand things on earth, and I have always ended up back at the church. Now, I've never left the church, but I've died a thousand deaths to a thousand things, and I've began with the church, and I've ended with the church. I've been hurt by the church.

I've been chewed up and spit out by some of the church. Now, they really weren't the church because believers don't do those things. They were wolves who had crept into the church, but with God persevering in me and God sustaining me, I always stayed with the church. My wife and I have always stayed with the church and the work of the church, and that is the work that God has done in me. But right here at the end of 2024, today as the pastor of Grace Life, Brooke Avon, I am optimistic. I am very excited. I'm about to come out of my shoes with excitement as I look into the new year. Now, why is that the case?

Because I have a mighty expectation about what Christ Jesus wants to do in and through us. Now, here's my challenge for you. We're all different. We come from different places. We have different needs when it comes to these things. But here's my challenge. Will you be willing to repent, reorient your life, and even make radical changes in your life for the church? Let me say that again. Would you be willing to repent of any sin? Would you be willing to reorient your life, and even make radical changes in your life for the church? More specifically, would you be willing to change jobs for the church?

I've seen men change jobs for their commitment to the church and their family's commitment to the church. Would you be willing to change jobs, sir, for the church? Would you be willing to change your family, your family structure, and even your family associations for the church? It's sad. Some of you are pulled down in your commitment to the life of the church by even family. Would you be willing to change your philosophy of the church, your view, your expectations? Many people can have faulty views and faulty expectations about what a church should be and do.

And sadly, I've seen many people come to a crossroads and they would not die to those things. Would you be willing to give sacrificially for the work of the church? Think about it. Would you be willing to give sacrificially of your time and of your talent and of your physical resources and of your monies? We're going to have an opportunity to give above and beyond this year, have a particular challenge in relation to our budget and how we give, especially when it comes to the future and a building. But the last question, would you be willing to be converted to Christ so that you could be used in the church?

You see, it's an interesting and mysterious thing. God brings people in the life of the church who are not converted. They've never been converted to Christ, savingly. And they are attracted to the work of the church. They see their gifts and their abilities. They may even have a desire to serve, but they're not born again. I've seen those people come to saving faith and the Lord Jesus set all of those desires and talents on fire for Him. Would you be willing to come to faith in Christ so that you could be used in the church? Now, the title of the message is rather simple, Five Essential Components of a True Church.

And we will continue with this message and end these essentials as we move into looking at church membership, as we move into looking at budgeting and certain projects and our future fund pertaining to a building, and as we look into elder leadership and what that looks like in the future. So let's pray. We're going to sing a song closing out our service, and then we're going to take care of one or two announcements in a little church business. So let's pray together.