Cedarville Magazine Fall 2016

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Chapel Notes
There is a whole generation
of Christians who say the
Church doesn’t really
matter. They think the
Church is just one little
piece of food on the
great spiritual buffet in
21st-century America.
A whole generation of
Christians have decided
that their spiritual lives
are about their campus
groups, their iPods, the
blogs they frequent,
and their Twitter
accounts. That’s how
I’m going to grow as a Christian.
That kind of thinking is just wholly wrong. Jesus
created the Church; He owns it, and He loves it. His
mind, above all, is on her, the Church.
I’m not just talking about the universal Church
either. Jesus’ attention and fierce affection is on the
local church, on little groups of people scattered
throughout the world, redeemed by His grace,
organized as embassies of the eternal Kingdom,
and given authority by the King to speak with His
voice in this fallen world. Because of that, your life
as a Christian must be centered in service to the
local church.
There are three things about the Church that
I want to talk to you about today. They are its
constitution, its charter, and its commission.
When I say constitution, I mean the Church’s
beginning or creation. That happens in Matthew 16.
Peter says Jesus is the Christ. Jesus responds and
agrees with him, but He also says Peter is blessed.
The King starts to move and says, “On this rock, I will
build My Church.”
The Church is not just some idea that a bunch of
pastors had to keep their jobs. It’s not just another
social club or a campus group. Jesus Himself
constituted it and created it as His embassy in
the world.
InMatthew 18, Jesus gives the Church a charter of
authority and essentially says, “You have the right to
act in My name. So not only have I constituted you,
but I’m going to charter you and give you a right to
speak in My name.”
We are an embassy of the high King of Heaven. It’s
not just a group of people who are unorganized, but it
has structure and leadership. It has the ability to listen.
It has the ability to act. It doesn’t exist to give you an
emotional spiritual high. It brings a real, tangible,
powerful challenge to this world.
In Matthew 28, Jesus gives the Church a
commission. “All authority has been given to Me,”
Jesus says. What’s the mission? Be My witnesses and
make disciples. Proclaim to the world that the King
has re-invaded and will judge the world, but for now,
the King’s hand is extended in mercy. He will forgive
you and save you.
So what does all of this mean for you, as a
Christian? If you want to serve Jesus, that will mean
a life spent in service to the local church. You cannot
love Jesus and not care about His Church, because
He is irrevocably united to them. If Jesus loves His
Church, then it means you need to be a committed
member of a church, even through your college years.
Greg Gilbert is Senior Pastor of Third Avenue Baptist
Church in Louisville, Kentucky.
What Is the Church?
The following is an excerpt from a chapel presentation by Greg Gilbert on August 25, 2016, at the Fall Bible Conference.
Listen to his remarks and other conference messages at .
Proclaim to the world that the King has re-invaded
and will judge the world, but for now, the King’s
hand is extended in mercy. He will forgive you
and save you.
Join the University family in chapel each day via the live stream broadcast or Facebook Live
). Past messages are also archived at .
Nov. 3 Tim Armstrong
Senior Pastor of The Chapel
Akron,Ohio
Nov. 10 9Marks Conference
Matt Mason
Senior Pastor of The Church at
Brook Hills
Birmingham,Alabama
Dec. 6–7 Bryan Loritts
Lead Pastor of Abundant Life
Christian Fellowship
MountainView,California
Jan. 10–11 Missions Conference
Johnnie Moore
Founder andCEOof
The KAIROSCompany
Glendale,California
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