Pastor Douglas E. Brown: A Priority of the Church (Matthew 28:19-20)

[Music] [Music] [Music] change Goku [Music] amen come on let's thank God for committed praise our male course a mad come on thank God for these brothers amen they truly blessed us today and we thank God my entire music ministry amen and direction of brother excel amos amen so we thank God for them and all who was serving on today thank God for another day's journey a man he has allowed us to be here and together in this place we call Great Commission one more time Amen it's a blessing and a privilege to be in the service one more one more time amen so we thank God and we thank God for commissioner Brooks for being here and sharing that very valuable information with us amen so I challenge encourage and invite all of the men a men to come go with me amen to the prostate screening a men come and go with me come on and me meet me there amen I'll be there so come on and meet me I'm concerned about my my health a man and my wife is encouraging me to go because she loves me a man so sister if you have that fella in your life and you love him a man a man not if she's not encouraging you to go check your policy when you get home and see how much is really on that thing a man but seriously seriously encourage that man that you love to to go hey man and get checked out amen I believe there's something also for the sisters amen amen and some cooking classes for the sisters they are free and a red rose free alright so bring you old man I'll just send him bring him a man and then meet me here on February the 23rd for the North Texas district Association training a man we need to assist aware upset the other night you don't want to invite people to your house and you're not there amen amen so February the 23rd come you can get something to eat it's free and you get some good teaching some good training and then let me encourage all of the men and all of the women I would say the boys and girls but they can't come if you don't come and they can't come if you don't bring them tomorrow night as a family night amen 7:00 p.m. a men will be meeting in the choir room all right and the sisters will be meeting in the chapel a man so lady lakitu the director of our women's ministry she is asking you to meet her there and I'm encouraging you to meet her there and all the men to meet me in the choir room for men's ministry meeting can you do that amen all right 9:00 encourage your neighbor who did not open their mouth to come with you as well Matthew's Gospel chapter 28 Matthew's Gospel chapter 28 this is our 34th church anniversary 34th church anniversary a man praise be to God in past les Brewer a man from the historic greatest st. James Church one about very own who was pastoring there he will be sharing the Word of God with us amen on Wednesday night his church will be here as well so let's come out and celebrate as we kick off this church anniversary in the next Sunday past Lord behold amen our moderator the North Texas district Association will be sharing with us next Sunday morning amen what a preacher he is amen so we encourage you to come and be a part go to the end of Matthew's Gospel chapter 28 that end of it you ought to know that and know where that is a man so meet me down there around verse number 19 go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you and remember I am with you always to the end of the age a man a man a gardener father Lord how we thank your father we praise we bless your name for so good so gracious so kind so Marvel is so magnificent so amazing are you and we say thank you for God there's none other like you and how we thank you for every good and perfect gift god we thank you you've blessed us and we say thank you you keep on blessing us and we thank you in advance for what you were yet to do now God how I pray now for physical strength for spiritual stamina gods stand up in this body speak now your word take my mouth in my mind and use it for your glory God and we give you thanks and we give you praise in Jesus name we do pray a man a man for you take your seat real quickly just look at your neighbor and say neighbor if you pray with him and pray for him he won't be long neighbor with the help of God the holy spirit and our prayers our pastor is going to preach about the priority of the church a man I just please let those in who come in here last Sunday we talked about ministry minded people as we talked about when we are in this church anniversary today I want to talk about the priority of the church the priority of the church really ought to be to fulfill heavens agenda to be about what heaven is about if we don't know what that agenda is is what Jesus said he came to do he said I came to seek and save that which was lost he came that the loss would be saved he came that man would have peace with God he came to be the mediator between man and God because man was an enemy of God and it is through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we are no longer the children of Wrath of the children of disobedience but we are now joint heir with Jesus Christ and heavens agenda it ought to be the priority of the church it ought to be that we are busy making disciples that we are searching that we are going after those who are lost we're going after the lost area that they might come in and be taught it is a part of our vision statement we are to reach the sinner but after we reach them then we are to teach them come on talk to me Great Commission because that is the priority of the church if we're not teaching people to become followers of Christ and if you are not involved in learning how to be a follower of Christ then we are wasting our time well they may if you ask the average church member if we took a survey this morning and we were asked what is the priority of the church what is the primary purpose of the church we would get a lot of diverse and so some would say fellowship the opportunity to associate and interact with other believers after all the Bible says that the world will know we are his disciples or his followers because of the love we have for one another some would suggest Philip that it is praise after all that is the atmosphere of heaven if God's primary purpose for the saved were a loving fellowship he would immediately take us to heaven where spiritual fellowship is perfect where there is no disharmony and if his primary purpose Deacon Glenn was to give him praise he would take us immediately to heaven where praise is perfect and praise is unending but there's only one reason Lord allows his church to remain here on earth only one reason to fulfill heavens agenda matter of fact the reason he gave us the Holy Spirit is not so we can run and shout and jump up and down Oh even though those things I love those things when it comes to worship but however the primary reason he gave us the Holy Spirit is in Acts chapter 1 verse 8 he says after the Spirit is come upon you you shall be a witness a walking billboard you shall become one who was sharing their faith one who was telling others about the Lord Jesus Christ so the purpose of the church is for us to partner with God in reaching the laws and teaching them to adhere to his word that is to train men women boys and girls to be like Christ in character conduct and commitment I'll say that again that is to be like Christ in character conduct and commitment the things that Christ is committed to are the things we ought to be committed to Christ was and is committed to winning souls can I get a witness here he said follow me and I will make you fishers of men he never said follow me and I'll make you a deacon a dancer a choir member an usher etc but fishers of of men now we may have various titles but it's just like going to the military when you go into the United States Army you become a soldier first that's why everybody goes to basic training so you can learn the basic soldiering techniques and methods and then you move on to advanced training to where you get a different title but it is always first and so it is with you and I when he called us to follow him he said first of all before you become pastor teacher Deacon Asha president vice president whatever your title is first of all you become a Fisher of men I wish I had somebody here that that's what we are we're to be in the business of making disciples there the way I act the way I carry myself ought to say I'm available to him I'm associated with him and I'm involved in the same activity he was involved in ours as a church is to continue the ministry and the message of the Lord Jesus Christ we're not to come up with a new message we come up with new methods on how we get the message out but the message is still the same it's about one Friday he died but early Sunday morning God raised him from the dead he came as a ransom for many he died for our system is somewhat upright quit for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him shall not preach it if you can't help it preach this that he'll not perish but have everlasting you remember when Peter was in the courtyard and he denied knowing Christ and that young maid and she said to him she said you want to build you're one of them you you've been with him and Peter said no she said you look like one of them and Peter said no she said uh.hi your speech gives you away and when you've been around him and following him clothes for most three years something happens to you you start acting like him you start sounding like him even when you're not trying to that's why some of you go to some places and you don't fit in anymore you feel out of place now when you go to the place where the lights are dim and the music is bumping and you got your groove on you feel out of place because you've been with him you don't feel comfortable anymore listening to dirty jokes and folk hanging around drinking and smoking doobies and getting their fingers stained and what have you uh-huh talk to me talk to me and and cussing and all of that why because you've been with with him and when you've been with him you're gonna look different at different behaved different sound different Peter couldn't hide it even in a weak moment when he didn't want to be one making disciples is the business the priority of the church what-what-what is a disciple one who places his or her self under the lordship of Jesus Christ to receive instruction that is to learn from him and learn of him and they're doing this for the purpose of emulation I'm learning from him and of him because I want to emulate him I wanna people when they see me I want them to see see him and when people see my good works I don't want them to glorify me but by my good works I want them to glorify the one that sent him who I look like and I'm told my father and so my goal is to become like like Christ like Christ that's that's it it is to make disciples it's easy to be satisfied with with members if our goal is simply to get folk to raise money increase budget have programs and build buildings but when we are Kingdom minded that is producing for the kingdom we don't just want members every organization has members we want disciples we won't pupils we won't students we won't look let me see if I can help you with this word let me give me give us a few minutes and let me see if I can help you well because first of all when you look at this text and understand what a disciple is of the first one I know it's elementary but I need to put it out there is that first one is salvation it speaks of salvation to be a disciple you have to be saved Ephesians 2:8 9 puts it like this for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast I have nothing to boast about in myself because I am what I am because of the grace of God so I'll do all of my boasting in him because without him I'm nothing and nobody but he made me somebody somebody walked in my office this morning and they said pastor you are somebody I said no I am I was a nobody until I met that somebody who could make me and you both somebody we're all somebody because of because of him many people are joining churches without joining Christ because their attraction LZ is not Christ they're the reason they joined the church was because the music moved them that they joined the church because because their mama went to that church they they joined the church because they loved the children's ministry but but their attraction was everything else but Jesus the attraction is the music or some other program some people got attracted when we first moved in here and if you that was you just say ouch were saying softly so your neighbor won't know it was you some people were attracted by the building they were attracted by the facility but they were not attracted by Jesus can I get a witness and as a result you end up with congregants and not Christians it's possible for the church to be busy and Jesus not be involved in what you're doing revelation 3 and 20 come here talk to him if you can Jesus is standing at the door he's not talking to the world he's not talking to sinners but he's at the door of the church and he is knocking and he says if any man would let me in I will come in and sup with him and he with me it was a church that was busy but Jesus was on the outside you can have a whole lot going on on the inside and Jesus not involved just because you got a crowd because you got a whole lot of programs don't necessarily mean that you got it going on if Jesus ain't in the house all you're doing is making a bunch of noise everybody in the house is not saying Jesus says there's some people who offer lip service they praise me with their lips but their heart is far from me you can be in the house and be lost Luke's Gospel chapter 15 there is a woman who has five callings she loses them and she diligently searches for them they are lost but where they lost in the house there are some folk that are in the house but they are still lost they do you remember what you say back in the day when you walk down now and they say the preacher said give me give me your hand and give God yo there's a whole lot of folk just simply gave the preacher they hand and never gave God their heart I remember years ago when I was a little boy and I grew up in the Antioch Baptist Church on on Cottage Street under Charles B Kelly Amen preaching fella I mean pre change singing Kelly get to preach in and once he started closing and once he started singing had to go to flying and everything and Kelly throw his handkerchief and who they dive to get his handkerchief I mean that's just the way it well that's just the way it worked but anyway anyway I mean here it is I joined the church because mama said this Sunday you join in church and you were gonna do it if mama said you're gonna do it and we got up and we joined they took my name and say look Brown what do you want to say I want to be baptized look Brown wants to be baptized the baptized is that evening next Sunday I'm singing in the in the Charles B Charles Bennett quiet Charles Burnett Kelly quad when I look go green and go green little schmuck song with big gold ribbon bows around our neck and on our way to Jerusalem I want to live in Jerusalem and here we go here we go but guess what I was still doing the same stuff when I got I was fine I was I was a young kid then but when I got in high school I've nothing had changed I was filled I'd go to church every Sunday but I was still doing the same same stuff matter of fact I was doing it in on a different level and I found out what had happened I had Joe in church but nobody told me I had to place my faith in Jesus they just simply put me in the choir and told me to start singing I wish I had somebody here and can I tell you I believe that's why a lot of times we have holed out of trouble and you got hell and your ministries because you got hellions and even's trying to do the work of the Lord because you're in the house but now say so talks about salvation secondly secondly secondly not only about salvation but it talks about being a student because of your follower of Christ you become a pupil a student of Scripture we're to be actively involved in studying the word sheep have to eat sheep food he says to Peter if you love me feed my my sheep that that is Peter you gonna have to give them the word you can tell a sheep by their appetite and you can tell a goat by its appetite a goat will eat anything a goat will eat trash and a goat was just you on it to own trash but a sheep will feed on the word if a person doesn't have an appetite for the word they they they they they they they may not be a sheep x2 for the 142 then they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day were added unto them about 3,000 souls and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine people who know God want to know him more they continued in the word they continued in the doctrine they continued in the scriptures it was not a one-time saying they did it repeatedly they did it daily it was not when they only went to the temple but they did it on a regular the early church was a successful if you would when it came to ministry because they stayed in the word they continued to be taught we will go through orientation Commissioner Brooks at mcdonnell's to learn how to flip a burger and won't come to Bible study and Sunday School and be taught and then got the nerve to want a position in a ministry something's wrong with that we go to work early come to church late something wrong with that I wish I had somebody here the word says my people perish from a lack of what knowledge you are perishing in certain areas when it comes to your family your finances and your faith because your lack of knowledge of God's Word if we're going to be disciples we have to become pupils of the Word of God and I know some of you go to Bible studies and lunch and at work we'll make sure it's a Bible study and not an opinion study make sure that somebody in the group has been poached and everybody's not giving out their opinion or what they feel or what they heard or what they think the scripture says simply say what the scripture is saying and don't add anything to it so we've got to make sure that we are feeding on his word salvation student but every disciple is to be involved in service members moving from membership to what to ministry all believers are gifted every believer has a gift the Holy Spirit has given you a gift to edify the body of Christ and we are charged with the responsibility to use that gift to glorify God we're to use our talents our skills abilities to perform Christian works Christian service for earthly good and to bring glory to God we are his workmanship created unto good works he wants us to be involved in good works amen amen James says faith without works is dead James says if you have faith so you say but no works he says then then really he says you have a demonic faith and a dead faith he says because the Devils believe and trouble but they don't do any work and and and folk who have a dead fave they don't they don't do any work he says but if you have real faith it's going to show up in your in your works now I told you salvation is a gift of God not of works lest any man boast so so we can't well it's a gift we did we don't work for our salvation we can't work for it we didn't earn it we didn't deserve it at the truth be told so we we we have been given it by God it is a a gift it's a gift and because I now have it I show my faith by the work I do and if I'm not doing any work for him my faith is suspect Romans 12:3 through a says for I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think but to think soberly according to God hath dealt every man the measure of faith for as we have many members we have one body and all members have not the same office so we being many are one body in Christ and every one members one of another having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us whether prophecy let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith or ministry let us wait on ministry nor he that teaches on teaching and he that exhorteth on exhortation and he that giveth let him do it with simplicity and he that ruleth with diligence and he that show us mercy with children answer let me ask you a question if he has given all of us a gift for what is a bench member why do we even acknowledge a bench member how do you have membership in a church and don't do anything everybody is on the team whether they start or sit on the bench they own the team they all do something they go to practice they wear the uniform they study the PlayBook they show up to every game they are committed to the team if they didn't do something they would not be on the team if they didn't show up to practice they wouldn't be on the team if they missed some games they wouldn't be on the team if they didn't wear the uniform they wouldn't be on the team if they didn't study the playbook they wouldn't be on the team it's only in the church that we join one Sunday and don't show up for eleven months and then claim to be a member [Applause] it's only in the church we give one dollar in being raised a whole a million dollar worth of y'all said it not me hell no where else can you go and receive the same status and the same privileges as folk who are doing everything and you decide to do nothing nobody follow Jesus and did nothing every now and then he would stop and check the road jack and he he would remind them now if you're gonna follow me you'll have to take up your cross where you want to deny yourself take up your cross and follow me and some of them would leave him some would stop following and then he raised the question you are gonna leave - they said no because you have the words of eternal life and he says cool let's keep going I'm not teaching training and calling y'all to do nothing there is work to be done and when he ascended to be with the father Ted says that he stepped on a cloud and he ascended and there were men that was standing there gazing up into the sky and two men showed up draped and wait white apparel which we believed were a nose and they said Ye men of Galilee why stand ye here gazing up into the sky that same Jesus who went up that way that's why I can't nobody fool you and tell you they saw him over here over there because that same Jesus reach a Bible study the word that same Jesus at the same way you seen him go it the same way he's coming back but what he wants you to do is not stand here staring into the sky waiting on him but he wants you to go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations he want you to be busy about the work put your hand to the plow because there's work that needs to be done salvation student of Scripture service but a disciple a follower is one who understands but the Humphrey and participates in stewardship stewardship the giving of my resources to the work of the kingdom through my tithes and offering because disciple understands that he is a manager of another's property disciples know that God owns it all and they are willing to use their financial resources to support God's work in the world if one is committed to what Christ is committed to then then then then then you can see it in their stewardship it's something wrong when you will give a waiter or waitress 18 to 25 percent and you won't give God 10% tell your neighbor something right something is is wrong Matthew 23 and 23 Jesus says woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites notice notice notice notice notice the verse you turn if you want to Matthew 23 23 woe unto you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites he does not say scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites but he says scribes and Pharisees exclamation mark rips you pay tithe of mint anis and cumin and have omitted the weightier matters of the law judgment mercy and faith ye ought to have done and not leave the other undone now for folk who say that our tithing is not in the New Testament read and study a Bible become a disciple student of Scripture amen he says these things you ought to do you see what Jesus was saying tithing was so common in his day that even hypocrites were tied but what he's also saying is that when you fail to tithe you fail to equal up to a hypocrite a hypocrite would tithe but when you fail to tide you were actually lower than a hypocrite she can't say man just say oh because everything that I have he gave it to me and whatever he wants and we say no son Lord I'm Yours completely Lord try me and see do you really want him to try you if you're completely here's and then others on the class saying I'm all sold out no no no vacancy does it completely have you but does he only have or is he only trusted with your with your soul but you won't trust him with your substance you you you'll give him your your service but you won't give him your substance you you'll sing a song to him but you won't give him your substance you open a door and let people come in but you won't give him your substance you you will stand and preach preacher but you won't give him your substance you will come in the gun and lead devotion but you won't give him your substance Sunday school teacher Oh finally in a minute Sunday school teacher you teach a lesson but you won't give him your substance your dance and and my man and robot and puppet and everything else but you won't give him your substance can I get a witness here you you'll do all kind of stuff in the church and you sweep and mop and you even work at the church and play an instrument at the church but you won't give here your substance and the only reason we have what we have for 34 years is because God has been good to us the only reason we got a building like this is because God have been good to us the only reason we got an instrument so not only in the section where it but we got him in the chapel and we got him in the choir room oh who has that minute here but God has been good to us can I get a witness we got buses and vans they all paid for because God has been good to us can I get a witness we can do ministry we can feed a multitude we can send people to hate it here we can send supplies to hate it because God has been good to us can I get a witness tell your neighbor neighbor huh not just the church but when I look over my life and I look around my own house and I take inventory and as I do like the songwriter one by one when I walk around the house I got a roof over my head I got food to eat I got clothes to wear I got money in the bank I got a dog in the backyard I got a fine wife upstairs I got some hard-headed children in the house but God's been good to me can I get a witness can anybody say yeah the lawns been good to me and when I walk outside I got two cars no that's just in the garage I got to own the street can I get a witness oh yes I got gas in the take yes I got good pies on the car y'all missing some blessings but everything I have God gave it to me I got a job to go to them I got helped in my body I got the activity of my limbs I'm holding a right mind yes I got traveling grace he gives me peace of mind yes he forgave me of all of my sins he made a way I don't know way he's mansions yes he's carried my heavy load won't he do it how good when I think about how good he's been Lord you can have it you gave it to me here's my money you gave it to me it's yours use it for your glory use it because I'm more like him not when I pray I like him not when I preach I won't like him when I give God so loved the world that he prayed now God so loved the world that he preached now God so loved the world that he sang a song now God so loved the world that he came that he gave his only begotten son the son gave gave his life one Friday evening but Terry can I tell you I'm so glad so glad Wow that early I said early Sunday morning [Music]

Channel: Great Commission Baptist Church

Views: 1,077

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: Pastor Douglas E. Brown, Church, Sermon, Preaching, Fort Worth, Texas, GCBC, Great Commission Baptist Church

Id: TEfjRuVsPIk

Length: 45min 46sec (2746 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 10 2019