The Church
- "A Dream Come True"Long before Jesus made his journey to earth, there was a dream in Babylon. The dreamer was a King named Nebuchadnezzar. The dream was about the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ! The Church is a Dream Come True! The Church can be for you "A Dream Come True," IF we allow it to. IF we are willing to commit our lives to the Church. This Church is: Not the plan of man , Not the dream of man Not of human origin. The Church of God is of divine origin!
There are those in the Christian world who are anticipating a coming Kingdom. I believe there is a present reality to the Kingdom. John the Baptist said (Matthew 3:3) "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." "Not long afterwards he began a tour of the cities and villages of Galilee to announce the coming of the Kingdom of God, and took his twelve disciples with him." (TLB)
John 18:36 "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
Mark 9:1 (TLB) "Jesus went on to say to his disciples, "Some of you who are standing here right now will live to see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!"
This kingdom that began in the mind of God long before it was a dream of Nebuchadnezzar. It is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It began on the Day of Pentecost. It's beginning is described in Acts chapters one and two. It's early history is outlined in the 26 chapters of Acts.
You and I are a part of the church, if you've given your heart to Jesus. It's here, it's today, it's powerful, it's going to be here until Jesus comes.
It's God's Dream Come True! God's Dream Will Last and Last. Earthly things are fleeting. I talk with preachers from time to time and we share our dreams. We hope to accomplish certain things in our ministry. I have a list of "goals" for my ministry. Occasionally I pull them out a read them. Some things on this list have been accomplished.
One minister has already accomplished his goals and dreams. Immediately, I was happy for him. Then I noticed he was sad. His next comment was, "What do I do now?"
There are also those who have dreams who will be unable to accomplish them. There are others who change their dreams so often, they haven't done much of anything. The Church is a dream formed in the mind of God. It was established by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The Church has been here long before you. It will be here long after we are gone. It's something we can invest our lives in, knowing there is no risk. There's no risk because.
God is the Designer
Don't you love the quality of everything from appliances to automobiles? They are designed to last at least until the day after the warranty expires. How many times has that happened to you?
The Church is the product of the Divine Designer. He has designed it to last eternally. It is incapable of destruction . Look at the forces that have been pitted against the Church. The Church is still here. It has weathered everything this world and Satan could possibly dream up to throw against it. It's still standing.
Remember, John Cameron Swazy? The Timex man. He would put the Timex watches through all kinds of extreme tests and smiling into the camera says, "It takes a licking, but keeps on ticking!" That's the Church. It has taken quite a few lickings, but it just keeps on ticking, and ticking, and ticking.
One of the more remarkable Timex commercials came during the time when commercials were recorded live. Swazy actually lost the watch on live T.V., and said something to the effect, "Wherever it is, I'm sure it still keeps on ticking..." When we cannot find the Church, when it was in hiding, when its not visible, we can say "Wherever it is, it keeps on ticking!" It will outlast all other kingdoms...
Hitler's third Reich was to last 1000 years. It came apart in a decade.
The Soviet Union, the government for all people and equality, didn't make
it a Century. America, a country founded on Christian principles 219 years
ago, is jeopardizing it's future by seeking to part company with God as
quickly as possible.
The Church, the Kingdom of God, has seen kingdoms come and go. It was here
yesterday, it will be here tomorrow. We haven't seen anything yet. That
day can't be that far off when Jesus Christ returns to take the Church,
into heaven.
What a great day that will be! We will forever be with the Lord. We will be with all the saints of God who have lived. We will experience the ultimate benefit of being a part of the Church. What will we do in heaven? I really can't say. Whatever it is, it will be one moment of glory followed by another. About the time we begin to think it can't get any better than this, it will.
The Dream has Come True In Many Lives.
God's dream, has touched so many people. Every time an orphan finds a home in a Christian orphanage, a dream has come true. For every child spared abortion through a home for unwed mothers, that child will live to dream. For every chemically dependent addict, who discovers the Church, and the help of the members puts their life back on track, a dream has come true.
For every child who comes to Sunday School without his parents, from a dysfunctional home, and finds here stability, something solid, some people who care and even love them, a dream has come true. For every Senior who turns to Christ later in life, and finally discovers the answers, another dream has come true.
Your story is probably just as remarkable. Think about where you were when Jesus touched your life. What would you have become without Christ? What have you become through Christ? You are living in Christ - a dream come true.
The Church, the dream of God, has come true. There are many who need to have a dream. The Church, has endured all Satan could throw at it in the last two thousand years. Yet the church appears to be in decline. Christianity in America, appears to be in decline. Churches, are not growing fast enough. Have we forgotten the dream of God to win the world? Have we made Christianity and the Church a PART of our life rather than our life? Have we in our busyness neglected to be sure others know about God? Do our neighbors know that there is a heaven and a hell?
Dream the dream of God! Share the dream of God! Live the dream of God. Allow the dream of God, to come true in your own live. Don't make time for the Church, BE THE CHURCH!
Don't come to Church on Sunday! Be a part of the Church every day of our lives. Don't give an hour a week or two or three, or four. Give every hour of every week to the King of Kings. Don't look at this congregation as a place where your friends gather. Make it an institution that can and will change lives.
Ask God to help you to conform to his image. The Church Is the dream of God. It Began on the day of Pentecost. It has been here 2000 years. It has changed thousands and thousands of lives. Does this dream of God include you? Are your dreams for the Church of the Lord Jesus? I hope you're involved!
Personal Application
Will you become a part of God's dream come true? God calls for a choice. What decision have we made about the Church of the Lord Jesus, God's Dream Come True? Who are we going to follow? God's Greatest Dream Is The Church. God's Dream Is Meant To Include All of Us. God's Dream Is For The Church To Be Alive. Don't just sit in a pew, decide to be a part of the dream of god!