The Path To Freedom

The Path To Freedom

By James Smith

 

Despise not the day of small things. How do you build a church?
First you build a man. – Thou are Peter and upon this rock will I build my church.  If Peter did not mature, the church would not grow.

  • God has chosen to build his church upon people.
  • He has chosen to use your life to build His church in the village you are from.
  • If you do not grow, your church will not grow.
  • This is why it’s important for you to study God’s Word
  • If you do not have a genuine love for God, then your church will not have a genuine love for God.
  • If you do not have compassion on the lost, your church will not have compassion on the lost.
  • Your church will become a reflection of you.

Don’t be so quick to blame your people if they are not bringing someone to church with them.

  • Don’t be so hard on them if they are not reaching out to their neighbors.
  • Realize that a church most often, does what they see their pastor do.
  • If you want your church to grow, be a soul winner yourself.
  • If you want your church to reach out to others, be someone who reaches out to others.
  • By your example, teach them to reach others.
  • By your example teach them to win the lost.

Then you begin laying a foundation.

  • You invest in some people to stand beside you.
  • This time of building is not glorious.
  • This time of laying a foundation is not one that gets the  attention from everyone around you. 
  • Other Pastors are not going to stand up and take notice when you are building the Church’s foundation.
  • But understand a building can be no larger than the foundation,
  • And you cannot build upon something that is not there.

You will not have a strong stable church that is growing if you do not have a strong stable foundation to support it.

  • So you begin to invest yourself in some good people whose love for God us unquestionable.
  • Some people who will stand beside you, no matter what comes against the church.
  • Some people who know your vision for the church and are willing to allow their lives to be built upon.
  • You build that foundation.  You build that foundation strong.
  • Don’t get discouraged when you find a stone that cannot be built upon.  Not every person you want to use will be usable.  Even Jesus had one that was not useable.
  • Some people will crush under the load of ministry.  Don’t blame yourself when this happens.  Trust God to replace them. 
  • Leave these people in the hands of God, and move on.

Then you begin to build upon that foundation.

  • Pretty soon you will see the church begin to grow, but not necessarily upon your own shoulders.
  • Soon you see a wall going up on the other side of the foundation.
  • This wall is not even on the same side of the foundation as you are.
  • It is being built upon someone else’s life.
  • Someone else’s time
  • Someone else’s energies
  • Someone else’s prayers
  • Someone else’s fastings

It is possible that the church can grow without the pastor’s direct involvement.  As a matter of fact, a Healthy Church will always grow, even without their pastors direct involvement.

  • Another person may teach that Bible study.
  • Another minister in the church may bring someone else in.
  • Allow God and trust God to use other people from your church to do the work of ministry.
  • Train them  to teach this Word.
  • Teach them to pray with others.
  • Encourage them to go out of their way to reach someone with this Truth.
  • Mentor them is the areas of Ministry.
  • Explain to them what you need them to help you with, and after giving them every tool and training they need to do the work, let them.  Trust them.  Encourage them. Strengthen them.

Jesus built the Church upon the foundation of 12 men.

  • 11 of them became the foundation of the church.
  • One of them could not stand up to the pressure and weight of the church that was about to be built upon him, so he was crushed.
  • Understand however, that Jesus’ plan to build a church upon 12 men did not fail when 1 of them hung himself.
  • This is because Jesus Christ Himself, is in fact, the Chief Cornerstone of the church.  There would only need to be 11 other stones to build upon.  As Jesus plus the other 11 men equaled 12.

Hear me today men and brethren, Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of this church.

  • This is why we baptize in His precious name.
  • This is why we call upon His name in prayer.

Did you know that when we call upon His name, every devil in Hell in and in this world must comply with the wishes of the one calling upon That name?

  • That’s why I pray, “In the Name of Jesus, my church will have revival.
  • In the name of Jesus, my family will be healed.
  • In the name of Jesus, Satan has no authority here.
  • In the name of Jesus, angels come and minister good things to God’s people.
  • In the name of Jesus, sickness be gone.
  • In the name of Jesus, devil be cast out.
  • In the name of Jesus, receive ye the Holy Ghost!
  • His Name transfers His Power and His Authority to the church.

We need to be reminded also today that it was His blood that was shed for the sins of the world.

  • It was not mine and it was not yours.
  • His blood alone could atone for the sins of mankind.
  • My blood would not even begin to save even one soul.
  • But His blood could save the World.

His blood has power today.

  • Power to heal
  • Power to save
  • Power to set free
  • Power to deliver from demonic oppression
  • Power to bless the church even when all of Hell is trying to destroy it.
  • Somebody plead the blood over their family.
  • Somebody plead the blood of Jesus over their church.

That’s why as a Pastor, I could not trust in my own abilities.

  • That’s why as a man of God, I cannot allow the people to focus their admiration on me.
  • Respect and honour is one thing, but if they go to showing me too much esteem, I have to begin to show them that they need to give that esteem and worship to God and not me.
  • Hey, this is His church.
  • He’s the chief cornerstone.
  • He’s the one that the rest is all built upon.
  • I don’t trust in myself today…
  • I trust in Him.
  • I don’t stand here today in my own ability.
  • But I stand here today under the authority and anointing of Jesus Christ.

It is not built upon you alone.

  • You are one stone, but you are not complete by yourself.
  • We need to realize today that the church we pastor is built not upon you and I alone, but it is built upon the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
  • I don’t have to worry every time the church has a hiccup.
  • I don’t have to become stressed every time someone leaves the church…
  • I can stay blessed and I can stay encouraged when it seems like the devil is trying to destroy my church… Why?
  • Because this church is built upon the Rock Christ Jesus!
  • It is built upon a solid foundation.

Just because a few people do not want to live for God, does not mean that His Word is not true.

  • His Word created the universe, so there is nothing so big that His Word cannot handle.
  • That’s why I love to hear His Word preached.
  • His Word has power.
  • His Word has the ability to create.
  • His Word has the ability to mend broken places and heal damaged lives.
  • A church can all but close its doors, but let someone go to preaching This Word and lives begin to change again and the Church begins to grow.

Preach the Word brethren.

  • Don’t be afraid to declare this Word.
  • This Word has authority.
  • This is why the devil fights this Truth so much.
  • This is why he works to destroy the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.
  • He knows that God’s Word is Truth.
  • He knows that God’s Word is Powerful.
  • He knows that his works will quickly fall away when the Man of God preaches the Word.

Use the people in your church

  • Give them a ministry
  • Give them a job in the church
  • Don’t wear yourself or your family out by doing all the small things.
  • Take the time to train someone else to handle the things you do not have time for.

Many pastors are satisfied being the only one doing ministry in the church.

  • Understand, this is not God’s plan.
  • His Word declares that it is the job of the Pastor to teach his congregation to do the work of the ministry.
  • If your church is very small, it is because of 1 of 2 things. 
  • 1. Either it is a very young church…
  • 2. Or you are trying to do it all yourself.

Are you like Moses?

  • Trying to handle everything yourself?
  • Blaming yourself for every problem the church has?
  • Stressing yourself out when you can’t meet all the needs of the church?

We need to hear the wisdom of Jethro.

  • Break the church into groups and allow there to rise up other leaders who can minister to the people.
  • Don’t just get a group of people together and preach to them…
  • Show these people how to help you raise up a church.
  • If you will focus more on raising up ministers and leaders in your church and less time focusing on petty problems, you will eventually have a strong church that does not blow over every time some small situation happens.

Hear me men and brethren. Don’t try to raise up a church like someone else has.

  • You raise up a church like the one God has given you a vision for.
  • Don’t try to imitate the church or the ministry of someone else.
  • Imitate the church that God has placed in your heart.

 

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