Video Transcript: The Early Church

Francis - I have a tendency to do things as a loner, or it's just like, I'm gonna  make this happen on my own. And yet, it's so clear why God created the church  and wanted the church, because it's so much better. Alongside of other people, I mean, just even this, you know, what we're doing right here. You know, almost  done. And, and I had to do this by myself, there's this pressure, there's just this  weight, there's just like, I kind of carry this thing. But seriously, I mean, this, this  isn't that big a deal, because I know, you're gifted in ways and I'm not gifted.  And, and so it's like, I don't have to feel the burden to be all of these things. And  that's the I mean, I can't really explain how much more enjoyable and that's a  picture of church, like you weren't meant to do this by yourself. And it's our gosh. It's just this comfort in I'm a finger, you know, I wasn't meant to kick a soccer ball and that's the thing, you know, I'm a part of this bigger thing that the Christ  intended.  

David - And that's where the beauty is seen. We all have the same mission,  make disciples in the church, but the way we walk in community with one  another, and the way that mission fleshes itself out in our lives, the way we  make disciples were spur one another on with different gifts, different skills,  different things were walked through in life, and God in his sovereignty leads us  on it, it's good to be a part of a community of disciple makers. And that's, that's,  that's what church is, is is not, it's not an audience of spectators, and just get  together to listen to one guy. And every week, no, this is not an audience  spectators it's a fellowship of disciple makers who are doing this.  

Francis - And hopefully you're seeing that even in your discipleship relationship,  because your disciple is going to come and he's not going to want to make  disciples, but you're there to spur him on like, like, left to ourselves. There's a lot  of things that we don't naturally motivate ourselves to do. And like you said, you  know, Hebrews 10, and we stir one another up to do those things like we we  encourage one another, you know, we give each other courage, especially as  we see that day drawing near.  

David - You know, one of the other things I want to point out on this, but I think is so key is when we are actually making disciples, that will inevitably lead to  multiplying churches. So the Bible, the New Testament, as we're reading  through this, and never commands us to plant churches. Jesus just said, make  disciples and as disciples are made as people come into unison, churches are  formed. And when I think about the church that God entrusted me to pastor, if  every single disciple, over the next year, made one disciple of Jesus, we would  double in a year, and there's no way, I mean, really, we'd have to build a  massive building for everybody to come under which we're not going to do. So  otherwise, we'd have to multiply, we got to have churches. And that's the point. 

That's the point. We're not intended just to coast out Christianity, in one  comfortable church all our lives were intended to be multiply the church and that happens as we make disciples.  

Francis - Yeah. And for people that have a good understanding of what church is in the New Testament, and it's the people it's that body coming together.  Because sometimes in our western mindset, we think, the location of this  building, and that's the church, we call that the church, but what Christ called the church is, is the body of believers, wherever they gather, you know, and  Romans is that leadership, but that's why it's so important to talk through that,  that topic. So they understand that this is not about a building. That's not what  Christ said, I'm gonna build my church, you know, it was just this idea of this  spreading as we make disciples.  

David - So that's a good, really good discussion to have with the people or  person you're discipling. What is the church? What what really in the New  Testament is the church? And how can we be a part not only of, of experiencing  the beauty of what God has designed for the church, but through making  disciples actually multiplying churches in the community where you live, and  then beyond that into a nations which we'll get to in the next lesson?