Speaking of the Church, that is the subject of my sermon today. I'm going to ask you, what is the Church? And can I ask a more elementary question than that, elementary church? Well, we know what the church is, we're right here. Here's church. You know, at 555 Techne Center, Drive. You know, wherever you might be, or you name it by a city. That's my church and that's where I've been going to for a long time. The question is, what is the church that you are a member of, and how do you identify with it? I think we can skip over these things very, very quickly, and just feel like you can settle into a church and you're happy with it. That's maybe all you know for a long time and you're comfortable with it. Also, where is your church located? You know, is it a regional church, is it a worldwide church around the world, a universal church? You know, where is your church located? And do you know what your church... Do you really, really know what your church does, and what its purpose is?

And probably even more important than anything else, how do I know if I am a member of the true church of God? Hint, it's not your PIN Code, it's not your quote on your BT magazine. That's only an identifier. But how do I know if I am a member of the true church of God? For the word church is translated from the Greek word “Ekklesia”. These are some of the standard things we've been saying for a long, long time, that you probably are well aware of. But there's a couple of interesting things about this word “Ekklesia”. When we think of the word ecclesia, we think of religious things, we think of things that have to do with spiritual things. But really isn't a spiritual word at all. It's derived from the verb Kaleo, which means to call out, with a prefix “ek”. So, the prefix “ek” is a preposition that means out of. So it means called out of.

And it's a word that in many languages simply means crowd or assembly. In fact, in other languages, like my Ukrainian language, the word is a very, very secular meaning. You know, it just means it's a kind of a grouping of people. It's even been used for military definition, that a military group is an “Ekklesia”. But we are a spiritual assembly, a spiritual gathering. It means a body of people, the way we understand it for our purposes, who have been called out. We've been specially called out. Every one of you has been called out. You're here because there was somebody else working on your mind to get you here, to call you out of where you were to bring you here.

"No man could come to me." Jesus Christ said, "Unless a father call him, called you into this assembly. The spiritual assembly." The first time that the word assembly, this ecclesia is used in the Bible, is a reference to ancient Israel. And this was in the speech by Steven the deacon who gave an indicting speech against the religious leaders of his time that cost him his life. He referred to the people in ancient Israel, who came out of Egypt, as the congregation in the wilderness. And that word congregation is the word ecclesia, the called out. That's the first reference that we have in of the church in reference to ancient times.

In the New Testament, the occurrence of ecclesia first comes when Jesus Christ said, "I will build my church." Matthew 16:18 "I will build my church. I will build my assembly. I will build my spiritual crowd. I will build my church." I'd like to focus a little bit here first, on the feature and the subject and function of the church that I feel is most prominent as far as how we relate to God. The one that is most vivid and most prominent is that the church is part of a marriage relationship. Marriage relationship. I remember hearing my first sermon about the church, which was almost 60 years ago.

And the minister at that time gave a sermon that I will never forget. He pointed out that the true marriage, in the way God established it was between Him and His people, that physical marriage is only a type of. And we often may think of when we read Ephesians 5, at marriage ceremonies, that we talk about marriage on the human level as something that, well, the church typifies that. No, we are a type of something that got ordained long before, of a special close relationship based upon love and obedience that was created from the very beginning. There are in the Bible, 36 references of regarding marriage of God and His people. Thirty-six references. Actually, I found one more here after I came in the hall.

There are 36, 37 references to marriage between God and His people. Twenty-five of them are from the Old Testament. Twenty-five of them are from the Old Testament, where God talks about Israel being married to them, about a covenant that He had made based upon His love for them and their obedience to Him. In the New Testament, there are 11 references. Eleven references to marriage. The first scripture I'd like you to turn to is Exodus 24:1. This is after the 10 Commandments were given, which were the basis of an agreement between God and His people. The 10 Commandments which were enumerated in chapter 20. And then the holy days are listed in the chapters after that.

Exodus 24:1-3 God said to Moses "Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and 70 elders of Israel that worship from afar.” We're going to have a ceremony here. “And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near Him, nor shall these people go up with Him. So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgements,” all the things that were part of this agreement, very, very special covenant. “And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words, which the Lord has said, we will do.’”

This was the nation of Israel represented by these people that said, "I do," in the marriage covenant, which was based upon the 10 Commandments, the agreement between God and His people. So this was the marriage between God and the nation of Israel. Now, I could not list and cannot go through all the verses that have to do with marriage. So what I did, was on Facebook I put down a link that will link you to those 36 verses. So you can look at them yourself. I'll only return to one of them, but there are so many good ones to discuss, and talk about, and to evaluate. Isaiah 54:5 is just one of these verses.

Isaiah 54:5 "For your husband is your maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts. And your redeemer is the holy one of Israel who is called God of all the earths. God of all the earth."

While t here are so many references to the marriage, many of them have to do with a marriage that broke up, because a covenant was not followed by the nation of Israel. So many of the verses have very sad consequences. And the reason that Israel went into captivity, and the reason that Israel suffered so much is because they broke this covenant. They did those things that were mentioned in the sermonette that were wrong, that were evil. And the consequences were laid out to them beforehand of what would happen. But also the consequences of what they would be like, or what would be good, was also brought to them beforehand if they had obeyed. But we see that the relationship between God and ancient Israel was started off with a marriage covenant that ended up in divorce. And that divorce ended up with Israel going into captivity. The marriage was broken. But in the New Testament here is renewed. The spiritual covenant continues on with a pattern of the old covenant.

Ephesians 5:22. We have heard this so many times. No doubt that you'll go to your next wedding and this verse will be read just like this. And they kind of go very quickly over us because the focus of that moment is the physical marriage between a husband and wife, between two people who love each other. But really, it's teaching a lesson about a greater marriage between God and His people that is eternal.

Ephesians 5:22-23 "Wives submit to your own husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is head of the wife as also Christ is head of the church. And He is the savior of the body."

So right away the Apostle Paul as he talks about the physical marriage, he gets into the illustrations of what this is really picturing. He's talking about the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church.

Ephesians 5:24-25 “Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands love your wives just as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for her."

So the focus here is turning to Christ and the church. His love for the church. The church isn't just His members, His people, His subjects, is the people that He loves as a husband is to love his wife. And also, care for that wife.

Ephesians 5:26-31 "That He might sanctify and cleanse her with a washing of water by the word. That He might present her to Himself a glorious church." This is what we're really talking about. Glorious church. “Not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So, husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his flesh..." Verse 29. "...but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church." Because Jesus Christ is married to this church. "For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. We have unity. There's a oneness between us and God like there is between the two shall be one flesh."

That's the kind of spirit, that's the kind of oneness and unity of love, and closeness, and intimacy, that is being taught by the physical marriage as it applies to spiritual connection. But the spiritual connection is primary. The physical connection is something that we learn from the relationship between God and man. So, our relationship with God is not like a marriage. It's not like a marriage. It is a marriage. It's going to be a marriage as Christ will marry His church. But first of all, there's a stage called the betrothal. The betrothal. I'd like you to turn to 2 Corinthians 11:1. This is one that might be very interesting to the Lamoureux’s because they have experienced this with marriages in Africa, in Malawi in particular. Particularly the last marriage ceremony that we went to two years ago when we visited the Lamoureux’s in Lilongwe. But this was a marriage in Blantyre. This is talking about a step before the marriage. 2 Corinthians 11:1. The Apostle Paul says to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 11:1-2 "Oh, that you would bear with me a little folly indeed, you do bear with me for I'm jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."

The feelings that the Apostle Paul had, were feelings that we would naturally have between human relations. Here is a church that is being prepared to marry Christ. And he's concerned because they're looking out for other men to follow. That made him jealous. Certainly would make you jealous. Here you are betrothed, which means engaged, and you're still looking. When we become part of the church, we're baptized, we are betrothed. We don't look for anybody else. We're getting ready for that big event of marriage to Jesus Christ because we should be presented then as a spiritually chaste virgin to Christ, but we're betrothed at this point.

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 "But I fear less somehow as a serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." He's teaching a lesson, a spiritual lesson of obedience, of faithfulness, of fidelity, in a spiritual relationship as compared to a physical relationship. And he says, "I'm jealous. I'm really burned up when I see you looking out for someone else, or somebody else is paying attention to you and you're flirting with them." "For he who comes, who preaches another Jesus..." Verse 4, "...whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it."

So, he's chiding the people here for their leaving the relationship that they had with Paul, the church, and ultimately with Jesus Christ. A betrothal is like a marriage but without marital relations. And normally, in ancient times, it was a 90-day period where a couple was betrothed like they were married. And they pretty much committed themselves one to another. Joseph and Mary were betrothed to one another. And the issue was is that Mary became pregnant with Jesus which came from God the Father and the Holy Spirit as Jesus Christ was conceived. And God the Father brought Jesus into the human experience as a human being. And that was a problem. So that's why at one point there, Mary was to be put away because they thought it was maybe something from someone else and not what it was as the virgin birth.

This was a period of 90 days. It was considered an important event. Now, interestingly enough, in the culture in Africa where we have worked the betrothal ceremony, the engagement ceremony is as important in some ways, even more important than the marriage ceremony itself. We have had experience with that. We talked about a wedding that we were going to be very happy to help out with, and they talked about, "We got to have the engagement ceremony." I said, "Yeah, I got to take care of that." No, that's a big event. Big, big event, because that's where the families get to know one another. They all get together and there's a negotiation too. A bride price has to be paid. A bride is worth so much. And so, we had two weddings earlier this year already, and I said, "What's really holding up, you know, the wedding?" "Well, we haven't settled on the bride price." "We need to get that bride price really organized and agreed to." And we did. We kind of helped out with this bride price. The marriage really was not able to proceed to the next level until that was negotiated, and all of people responsible met with one another.

We live in a culture right now where these things are so far gone. In our culture, you know, people live together, have kids, and decide to get married after 10 years. You know, this is just the way people are today. But the way it was done in these times was a different and more decent manner. Families meet each other, they get to know each other, and people are comfortable with one another. Another illustration about what the church is, is that the church is a building and a temple. I would say that first of all, marriage is the one that is most prominent. But there are passages that talk about the church being a temple and as a building. One that's most beautiful to me, there's several, is one illustration of this in Peter, and also one in the book of Ephesians. 1 Peter 2:1. 1 Peter is considered one of the most elegantly written books in the Bible because of this awesome imagery.

1 Peter 2:1-8 Peter writes, "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babies desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." Now verse 4 here, we come in this manner, "Coming to Him as to a living stone rejected indeed by men but chosen by God and precious. And you also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, as it is contained in scripture, behold I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone elect precious. And he who believes in Him will by no means be put to shame. Therefore, to you who believe He is precious, but to those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling in a rock of offense."

Now to us Jesus Christ is living stone. Our lives are attached to Him. And we are part of that construction.

1 Peter 2:9-10 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, who were not a people, but now have are the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

Jesus Christ is a chief cornerstone, and we are the living stones who are attached to Him. Much the same as said in Ephesians 2:19, but the Apostle Paul felt it important to mention it in this place as well.

Ephesians 2:19-22 "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens, and saints, and members of the household of God. Having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone to whom the whole building being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the spirit."

So, we have illustration of the church being a household, a temple where God resides. It's a temple that's built by many, many lively stones with Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. That's a definition of the church. One of the definitions and illustrations of the church. Now how do you become a member of the church? How do you become a member of the church? Somewhat elementary? We know that on the day of Pentecost, which we observed a little over a month ago, that the Holy Spirit came in a very, very huge manner. A manner that hadn't been historically up to that point, and perhaps not since. It was a day of the Big Bang, I would say, of the New Testament Church. The Apostle Peter spoke in Acts 2:38.

Acts 2:38 "Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remissions of sins, and you shall receive the Holy Spirit."

As a result of this presentation, this sermon, 3000 people were baptized on that day. It was really a huge mass baptism. Then 2000 people shortly thereafter, 5,000 people were baptized. Jesus said earlier that no man can come to Him unless the Father call Him. So the Father was really working in a lot of people's minds in a very short period of time. Which He does from time to time. We've seen that even in our era of the church, there have been times when there has been good growth, and there's been times when there's been slower growth. We pray that God's calling can come to more people, and more people can receive the Holy Spirit. But in verse 47, Acts 2:47, here's what it says about the church in relationship to how these people received the Holy Spirit, and what that meant.

Acts 2:47 "They were praising God and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to the church daily, those who were being saved."

The Lord added to the church daily, those who were being saved. So people were brought into the church because of God's calling, and they were being added. And so many of the illustrations of the growth of the New Testament church, were people that God had worked with in their minds, whether they were Judeans, whether they were the Jews, which was the starting point, the primary point, and from the synagogues, but also the word of God went to the Gentiles, which was a novel experience for the New Testament leaders. Some couldn't understand it, some rejected it, until they were shown that God is considering Jews and Gentiles, have no favoritism with either group.

But then God called these people and added them because He caused them to come. Notable examples, Cornelius in Acts 10. "A vision was given to Peter about a person who was wanting to come to him, that God was working with to repent." Another one was Lydia and the vision that came from Philippi to the Apostle Paul, "Come and help us here. The work of God was going into Europe now. And so, Paul went there, where God had led." The point is that God is the one who grows His church. And we can certainly pray for us to do our part, which is extremely important, but not a single one of us can convert anybody. We can hinder a person, but none of us can turn the screws in a person's mind to bring that conversion. Think about how you came into the truth, and think about how those close to you and your family have not accepted what you consider to be very, very clear, and what the difference is. The difference is what God was doing in your mind, and opening your mind, opening synapses of logic, and how you see spiritual things to bring you into that understanding.

God is also working with people that we absolutely have no knowledge of. In John 10:14, a very interesting statement is made by Jesus.

John 10:14-16 Jesus said that, “I am the door of the sheep.” God is the one who calls people, but we all enter into the door of Jesus Christ. That's where salvation comes. That's the doorway to salvation. "And whoever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door, if anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. I'm known by a hireling causes. I am the good shepherd and I know my sheep. I'm known by my own. As a Father knows me, even so, I know the Father and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring and they will hear my voice. And there will be one flock and one shepherd.”

There will be one marriage when Jesus Christ returns, in Ephesians 5, which pictures about the marriage of Jesus Christ and the church. The lamb and the church. So, there are other sheep, however, that God is working with. Sometimes they come into contact with us sometimes we don't know. The one important thing is that we know that we do our part, and that we be part of His sheep, and not be judge of who God is working with and who is not. 1 Corinthians 12:12. This illustration of the church being a body.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body being many, are one body so also is Christ. For by one spirit, we are all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into one spirit, for in fact, the body is not one member but many."

It describes the various parts of the body that are a part of the functionality of the body, the ear, the foot, the head, the mouth.

1 Corinthians 12:27-31 "For you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” All of us here have a part in the body of Christ. We have different functions, we have different responsibilities. “And God has appointed these in the church. First apostles, second prophets, third teachers, and after that miracles, then gifts of healings and helps administrations and varieties of tongues." Mr. Meyers read that partially from Ephesians 4, "Are all apostles, are all prophets, are all teachers? Do all have the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? I'll show you a more excellent way."

So, we are one body which have different functions and different things that we perform. The mission and purpose of the church is found in Matthew 28:18. I think there's one interesting word that we skip over very quickly in Matthew 28:18. These are among some of Christ's last words that he spoke to His disciples And this was up in Galilee, about 70 miles north of Jerusalem. He said, He spoke to them saying, this is of course after his resurrection.

Matthew 28:18 "All authority is given to me in heaven and on earth.”

All authority is given to me in heaven and on earth. That's the passage I'd like to focus on. At this point, all authority was given, you might say, back to Jesus Christ. I mean, He always had it. God the Father always reserved it for Him. But He was saying that,

Matthew 28:19 But He was saying that, "I have authority, and therefore, I'm empowering you." Verse 19, "Therefore, go make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you, and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Now, one thing I do pray, is we do the work of God, and as we strategize and plan. I sing, Jesus, God the Father. You said that you have all authority. And then you said, "Because I have all authority, go." Therefore, please work with us. Use us as instruments in doing that work. Help us to fulfill the mission that we are to fulfill.

We know from Matthew 24:14, "That this gospel of the kingdom will be preached into all the world, as a witness to all nations and then the end will come." How are we going to do that? How is what efforts we have with all the media, with the churches, which are quite small, overwhelmed by what's out there in a very confusing way, to do this work to where people will say, "Aha, that is the work of God. That is a special voice that has spoken to us." I have wondered and wondered, and we have speculated. It may come to where we have a special ministry at the very end, that'll grow out of the ministries that we have here on the earth. The two witnesses in Revelation 11:1.

Revelation 11:1-6 "I was given a reed like a measuring rod to come and measure the city." But in verse 4, he gets into describing a little bit more about what this ministry might be. "There are two olive trees and two lampstands standing before God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them,” these are these two olive trees, these are these two witnesses, “if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, they must be killed in that manner. These have power to shut heaven so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy, in the days of their preaching. And they have power over waters to turn them to blood and to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they desire."

So for a period that is spoken of here, for 1,260 days, these people have a tremendous amount of power. They're called the two witnesses or the two presenters. You know, we have three presenters. But they're the ones who are going to speak very, very loudly, you know, to the entire world in a very, very special way where they will not be harmed, they will not be touched. How that will take place, your guess is as good as mine. But I know that the prophecy speaks of that, and that's about the only way that Matthew 24:14 can be fulfilled. I don't see in the time that we have left in our personal lives, to be able to expand the ministry that will have that kind of impact, unless it's a kind of day of Pentecost power that is given to those whom God says will be the two witnesses to preach to the world, and preach it in a way that's credible.

Mr. Meyers read Ephesians 4, all the way through. I might just read verse 16. I might read verse 14 too. He spoke about it in terms of the men who are going out to be instruments and tools in shaping and forming the church. And the church in a sense is also working together with the ministry, with all of its resources to be able to produce a product that is a healthy one.

Ephesians 4:14-16 "That we should no longer be children tossed to and forth about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men." The church has a responsibility, the ministry has a responsibility to teach the truth. The ministry has a responsibility to maintain discipline and doctrinal integrity in the church. "Not to be taken in by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.” The church has always had its enemies, “but speaking of the truth in love may grow up into all things who is the head Christ, from whom the whole body..." And this is part of our vision statement, "...joined and knit together by what every joint supplies according to the effect of working, by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body. The ministry, those who are working with it, those who enable the work of the church for the edifying of itself in love."

The church has had a very hard history. In fact, some of the New Testament was written for the purpose of countering some of the heretical teachings that were taking place. The church at first had a problem with persecution from the outside, but after Nero, the church had a problem with persecution from the inside, as people crept in unaware, as they're spoken of in the book of Jude. They crept in and they tried to disassemble the church, to the point of where the church had weakened to the point of where John went to visit the churches and congregations, and he was not even welcomed in those churches. That's how bad it had gotten. But God has always been with us. The church has a responsibility to maintain doctrinal integrity and to shut down the trickery of men.

The last passage I'll turn to is Revelation 12. Revelation 12 is the history of the church in history and in prophecy. The woman is symbolized as being a woman. The church is symbolized being a woman.

Revelation 12:1-3 "A great sign appeared in heaven." But chapter 11 speaks about the two witnesses. Revelation 12 speaks about the great sign. "A woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and under her head a garland of 12 stars." This was the congregation in the wilderness. The 12 tribes that was referred to in Act 7. "Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. And another sign appeared in heaven. Behold, a great fiery red dragon and having seven heads and 10 horns, and 7 diadems on his heads."

A horrific creature. But Jesus Christ loves His church. Jesus Christ loves us so much, so much that He wants to marry us. He wants to have an eternal relationship with us.

The church is very special to Jesus Christ, but then church is also the number one hate target of Satan, the devil.

Revelation 12:4-6 "His tale drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her child as soon as it was born." Talking about Jesus Christ. "She bore a male child who was to rule all nations with a rot of iron. And her child was caught up to God into His throne." So, this is the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven. "Then the woman, the church, fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there 1,260 days." So the church has a place of protection and safety.

Revelation 12:13-15 "Now, when the dragon saw that she had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child." And that is what the devil will do to us. He will do everything he can to upend us in our thinking, in our plans, in our efforts. "But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness to her place where she'll be nourished for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent." This is their future. We're going to have to put up with that type of influence. "So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman."

The devil is not going to give up on us. That's why every day we should be praying, "Deliver us from the evil one." Because his manner will become more and more open, more hateful, as the more desperate he gets as we come to the end. We haven't seen anything yet. We see things around us, but let's be thankful for every day of sunshine that we have, every day of opportunity, every joyous day like we have here today, where we have ordination and we look forward to growth in the church. Let's be grateful. But also, let us be aware of what's ahead of us, what has to happen before Christ returns. And also knowing that we know the end of the story, that God will prevail, we will prevail, we'll be protected.

Revelation 12:16-17 “But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened up his mouth and swallowed the flood which the dragon had spewed from his mouth.” The devil in the last stand is going to spew out armies, spew out those who would want to destroy us. "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring,” with anybody that was converted, who had God's Holy Spirit. And especially “those who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Let's be grateful that we have God who will protect us from that. Jesus promised that His church would never die. The gates of hell will never prevail against the church. We have understandings of that as a church being on the offensive, but also the church will not die. Christ will be with us to the end. He will never forsake or leave us. Hebrews 13:5. He promised, which we already read, that He will be with us, with His people even to the end of this age, which we just read in Matthew 28:19-20, that He has a work for us to do. He has a work for us to do. Important things that we are responsible for. It may seem small to the world and even to us, but that is the work that we have to do in preaching the gospel and asking for Him to reveal His bill to us.

When Christ returns to this earth, we will be ruling with Him. Let's be grateful. So what is the church? The church is those who have God's Holy Spirit. Individuals who have repented, who have God's Holy Spirit, and who have been added to the church. That's who the church is. Not everybody who's maybe in the United Church of God is a member of the church, member of the spiritual church, but those who have repented, those who have received the Holy Spirit are the ones who have been added to the church. That's what a member is. How do we identify with the church? We are the bride of Christ. We have a romantic relationship with Jesus Christ. He loves us. He wants to spend eternity with us just like you love your wife. The way I love my wife.

You know, we talk at our age that, "Let's make sure that we see each other in the kingdom at least." I want to be with her forever. I really do. I love her very, very much. And Jesus Christ is establishing a relationship, an eternal relationship with His church. And we learn about that because of our physical relationships. We get just a little bit of an inkling about the greatness of the love that God has for His people. We're not just subjects, little ants crawling around here on the earth that He just kind of looks at us and throws us a bone every so often. He has a relationship with us. We're made to look like Him. We have His capabilities, we're made in His image and likeness. He's created a covenant relationship with us. The day that you were married, it was a big day in your life. It was a happy, joyous day. And that day when Christ will marry the church will also be the lamb marrying the church will be a grand and glorious day.

Where's our church located? It's located wherever God's people who have God's Holy Spirit are together. Among those people who have His Holy Spirit. Our purpose right now on this earth is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. So proclaim that. We don't know exactly what effect our words will have, but I have no pretensions that somehow this next six months, our strategic plan is going to call for us to make such great inroads on our efforts to reach the entire world that's described in Matthew 24:14. That is something of God's doing in His way, His manner, with the chosen people that He has at that time with the two witnesses. One thing I know is that I have been given instructions to care for the things that I care for, to care for myself personally, to be clean and prepare myself with that message for the church. And also, an important part of the ministry and the work of the church is to care for, equip, and train the people of God, which was brought out so well by Mr. Meyers, in Ephesians 4.

Our job is to equip the saints, to care for them, and to use those talents for us as a bride of Christ. To share that love, to understand that love, and to preach about that love, as we understand here to the end. So let's be grateful for the church. The church is my life. And so many of you can say that too. The church has been your life, maybe for more than 50 years. It has been for me, and I'm sure that there are people here I know that have been around a long time. The church has been very important because that is my identity, that is my life, that is my future.