“He cannot have God for his father who does not have the church for his mother.” - Augustine

A Church is a people. The church is a community of baptized believers in Jesus who have banded together to carry out the commission of Jesus.

The local church is the single most important factor on this Earth.
As local churches practice the presence of Christ, compassion, concern and interest in the lives of people develop. From this kind of concern come the educational, social, medical, and other ministries to meet the needs of the total person and the community. - Darrell Robinson

A follower of Christ is the habitation of God.
The local church is the “housing” for believers collective.

The Church then can be described in two words:
The Church Gathered
The Church Scattered

The Challenge

McChurch Mentality

The search for church; people are looking for support over salvation, help over holiness, a circle of equals rather than an authoritative voice of truth.

Many today are looking for a spiritual social club, one that offers lively relationships but certainly does not influence how people live or what they believe.

Holiness and biblical faithfulness are the true measures of church.

Most churches in the West entertain culture rather than engage culture.

Signs of life
- Supernatural Power
- Scriptural Preaching
- Saved Membership
- Scriptural Program

The Church…
Gathers for strengthening, scatters for service
Gathers for worship, scatters for witness
Gathers in praise, scatters in power
Gathers in fellowship, scatters in faith
Gathers to equip the saints, scatters to evangelize the sinner
- Darrell Robinson

Us Together is very powerful. When the church functions as the church there is nothing on earth that can stop it.