What Makes Us Who We Are Galatians 1:6-7 I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Four Stories about the DNA of the Church: 1) Galatia – 56 AD 2) The Wittenberg Door – October 31, 1517 3) Wesley and Whitefield – Spring of 1739 4) Henan Province in China – Spring of 2016

What Makes Us Who We Are Why can’t you go to church? 1) Because of the definition of the word “church” Mat 16:18 NLT Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

What Makes Us Who We Are The word for church in this passage is “ekklesia” (pronounced ek-klay-see'-ah). It is a compound of two words: “ek” meaning “out of” and “klesia” meaning “called.” The word had a secular meaning before it came into the New Testament. It meant a local assembly of people who had been called out for a purpose. It is easy to see how it came to be the description of the assembly of the saints of God, Christians. We are the local assembly of the called out ones for Christ’s own purpose.

What Makes Us Who We Are 2) Because of the identity of the church 1 Cor 12:12 NLT The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ. a) The church is a body not a building b) The church is a body not a meeting c) The church is a body not an organization

What Makes Us Who We Are 3) Because of the nature of the church The church is the physical expression of Jesus of earth 1 Cor 12:27 NLT Now all of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.

What Makes Us Who We Are b) The church is present whenever any of its parts are present 1 Cor 12:6 NLT There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. c) The church has two wings Acts 20:20 NLT Yet I never shrank from telling you the truth, either publicly or in your homes.

What Makes Us Who We Are d) The church can not be contained or controlled Acts 4:18-20 NLT So they called the apostles back in and told them never again to speak or teach about Jesus. {19} But Peter and John replied, "Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? {20} We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard."

What Makes Us Who We Are 4) Because of the purpose of the church Acts 1:8 NLT But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." a) The church is the primary way Christ is being manifested on earth Jesus was planning to use this new thing called to church to reveal Himself to the world.

What Makes Us Who We Are b) The church is vehicle of the Holy Spirit and His gifts Each of us would have to the understanding that we had a role to play: 1 Cor 12:7 NLT A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church. c) The church is the means God the Father has chosen to share the Gospel with the lost

What Makes Us Who We Are Aren’t you ready to: STOP GOING TO CHURCH and START BEING THE CHURCH?