1. Evangel Christian Fellowship God’s Desire & Purpose for Establishing His Church Pastor Joseph 10-07-2016

2. Evangel Christian Fellowship The Church  Church – The one universal many membered corporate body of Christ  One must understand how precious the church is to Christ Jesus  It cost Him more to bring forth the church than anything else that He had done throughout eternity

3. Evangel Christian Fellowship The Church  When God created the heavens & the earth – all He had think of what He wanted & then spoke His creative word & it came to existence  When God created man, all He had to do was to take up a handful of dirt and transform it into the human body of Adam. Just by a little creative handiwork, then breathing some of his eternal Spirit into man that caused Him to become a living soul

4. Evangel Christian Fellowship The Church  When God called forth Abraham to start the Hebrew race,  Which would bring forth His chosen nation of Israel all the He had to do was bring forth a REVELATION to Abraham & then watch over his descendants until they came back from Egypt to possess their promised Canaan land

5. Evangel Christian Fellowship I.What DID it Cost God to PRODUCE the Church?  Now let us see what it cost the Godhead to bring forth the church  All of the eternal Godhead became involved in producing the Church  Jehovah God gave His Son Jesus to the world for the redemption of humankind – so that they could become members of Christ’s Church

6. Evangel Christian Fellowship I.What DID it Cost God to PRODUCE the Church?  Jesus loved the church and gave Himself for it  So that He might present it to Himself, a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle (Eph 5:25-27)  Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the church for its empowerment, preservation and perfection

7. Evangel Christian Fellowship I.What DID it Cost God to PRODUCE the Church?  The Holy Spirit gives each individual member of the church the ability to communicate with God in a new prayer & praise language of the Spirit, a dynamo generating inner life and power

8. Evangel Christian Fellowship II.The Church is as Eternal as Christ Jesus  The church was conceived in the mind of God from eternity past  It was in the mind of the Eternal from the beginning & was planned & ordained before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4, Rev 13:8)  The concept of the church is as eternal as Christ Jesus Himself, it was chosen in Him from the beginning

9. Evangel Christian Fellowship II.The Church is as Eternal as Christ Jesus  The Death of Jesus, on the cross PAID THE REDEMPTIVE PRICE for every person who would become a member of the Church  The resurrection of Jesus authorised the bringing forth of the church  The coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost gave birth to the church

10. Evangel Christian Fellowship III.What Did it Cost CHRIST to Purchase & Produce the Church?  His indescribable agony in the garden of Gethsemane  A crown of thorns on His head  39 painful lashes upon His back,  Carrying that big wooden cross on His lacerated back

11. Evangel Christian Fellowship III.What Did it Cost CHRIST to Purchase & Produce the Church?  And finally His horrible humiliation, suffering and shedding of the last drop of HIS life’s blood while hanging on that cruel cross until His Death  That was the purchase price He paid to have His church  He battled the hordes of hell and arose victoriously on the third day from the grave

12. Evangel Christian Fellowship III.What Did it Cost CHRIST to Purchase & Produce the Church?  Yes it personally cost God more than anything else He had ever done  It cost Him His very life  The church means more to Christ than life itself for He gave His very life for it  The church is more precious to Him than anything else in heaven & earth

13. Evangel Christian Fellowship IV.Did God want the Church? If so why?  ABSOLUTELY! He personally declared: “ I will build My church” “I” Personally committed to the building of His church “will“ Determination to produce & perfect “build“ A long, slow, drawn out process (Eph 2:20) “My“ His personal property, pride & possession (Acts 20:28 | Eph 5:25) “Church“ Special called – out company & every other classification of human being

14. Evangel Christian Fellowship IV.Did God want the Church? If so why? “Church“ (Cont…) Special called – out company & ev ery other classification of human b eing All heaven & even hell recognises t hat the church belongs to Jesus All evil forces & humanistic people ar e trying to prevent Christ’s church f rom becoming all that God had pre -planned ultimate purpose & work will do during the church age and et ernity