Vision Series: I Love The Church

July 26th, 2026/Seventh Day Adventist

Intro:

You don't have to spend very much time online before someone is telling you what's wrong with the church. Another podcast. Another documentary. Another pastor who failed. Another church that split. Another person explaining why they were hurt and decided they were done.

And some of those stories are real. Some are exaggerated for effect. And some are because hate is the fastest way to gain popularity. The reality is that churches fail people. Christians fail people. Pastors fail people. When people are wounded in a place that was supposed to help them heal, it grieves the heart of God, and it should grieve ours too.

But here's what I began wondering this week.

What would someone believe about the Church if the only version they ever saw was the one presented online?

They would hear about the scandals, but not the hospital room where church members stayed long after visiting hours because they refused to let a family suffer alone. They would hear about the pastor who failed, but not the pastor who has faithfully served in the same church for over 30 years. They would hear about church splits, but not about the meals that showed up on front porches, the bills that were quietly paid, or the prayers that carried people through the hardest seasons of their lives.

The internet can show you the Church at her worst.

But I've had the privilege of seeing the Church at her best.

You hear about the plane crash, but not the millions that land safely.

I've watched people meet Jesus. I've watched broken marriages begin to heal. I've watched complete strangers become family. I've watched people walk into church believing no one knew their name, only to discover they had found a place where they were known, loved, and cared for.

And when the Church is healthy, there really is nothing like it.

That led me to one simple question. Why do I love the Church?

Not because I'm a pastor. If all of that disappeared tomorrow, would I still love the Church? Absolutely! I’ve always loved the church.

So let’s go to the Word of God and ask one simple question:

What did Jesus actually intend His Church to be?

My hope today is that before you leave, you'll see the Church the way Jesus sees it. And maybe, whether you've loved the Church for decades or you're just beginning to explore it, you'll be reminded why it's one of God's greatest gifts to the world.

The Church Jesus Had in Mind

Text: Matthew 16:13-18

This is the very first time Jesus ever uses the word church. Think about that. Jesus had healed people, performed miracles, preached to thousands, and called His disciples, but up to this point He hadn't mentioned the Church.

Then in Matthew 16, Jesus asks His disciples one of the most important questions they'll ever answer: "Who do you say that I am?" Peter responds, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus tells Peter that this truth wasn't something he figured out on his own. The Father had revealed it to him. Then Jesus makes this remarkable promise: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it." (Matthew 16:18)

I love that Jesus doesn't say, "You build it." He says, "I will build My Church." The Church belongs to Jesus. He loves it. He leads it. And two thousand years later, He's still building it.

The Greek word for “church” is ekklesia. It simply means an assembly or a gathering. Jesus wasn't talking about a building. He was talking about a people.

The Church isn't just Christians. It's Christians assembled.

There are some things Jesus designed to happen when His people come together. Think about your favorite sports team. You could take every player, put them in a different city, and give each of them a football. You'd still have football players, but you wouldn't have a team. The beauty isn't found in the individual players. It's found when they come together with the same purpose.

The same is true of the Church.

Jesus didn't just save individuals.

He assembled a family.

Main Points:

1. We Worship Together

   1. Text: Romans 15:5-6
   2. Jesus designed His Church to worship together. Now don't misunderstand me. You can worship God anywhere. But the New Testament makes it clear that there is something uniquely powerful about God's people gathering together to worship.
   3. Paul writes these words in Romans 15: "Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, so that you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice." I love that phrase, "with one voice." Different ages. Different stories. Different weeks. Yet for a few moments, we're all declaring the same truth about the same Savior.
   4. I've experienced that more times than I can count. There have been Sundays when I've walked into church exhausted. Ministry felt heavy. It had been a crazy week. Then worship begins. I hear someone behind me singing about the faithfulness of God. I see someone across the room with tears streaming down their face because God is meeting them. Nothing about my circumstances has changed, but somehow my perspective has.
   5. I've come to believe that's one of God's gifts to His Church. Sometimes God strengthens your faith through someone else's faith. Sometimes the song you don't feel like singing is exactly what your heart needs to hear. Sometimes your voice becomes someone else's encouragement, and sometimes theirs becomes yours.
   6. That's one of the reasons Hebrews tells us not to neglect gathering together. It's not because God is keeping attendance. It's because there are some encouragements you simply can't experience the same way by yourself. Jesus knew we would need one another, so He gave us the gift of gathering.
   7. That's one of the reasons I love the Church.
   8. Worship wasn't the only thing Jesus designed us to experience together. He also designed us to grow together.

2. We Grow Together

   1. Text: Acts 2:42
   2. As I continued reading the New Testament, I noticed something else. Jesus didn't just save people into a relationship with Himself. He placed them into a community where they could keep growing.
   3. Acts 2 gives us one of the clearest pictures of the early church. Luke writes, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer." One word immediately stood out to me: devoted. They understood that spiritual growth doesn't happen by accident.
   4. Here's the reality: every one of us is being discipled by something. If it isn't God's Word, it'll be the culture around us. If it isn't truth, it'll be the loudest voice in our lives. The question isn't whether you're being formed. The question is, who or what is forming you?

   5. That's why the early church continually gathered around God's Word. They wanted their minds shaped by truth.

      1. They prayed together because they knew they couldn't follow Jesus in their own strength.
      2. They shared meals because relationships don't grow through information alone.
      3. And they celebrated communion because they never wanted to lose sight of the cross.
         6. As I look back on my own life, some of the greatest moments of spiritual growth didn't happen because I discovered something on my own. They happened because someone opened God's Word with me. A pastor challenged me. A friend asked me a hard question. A mentor helped me take my next step.
         7. Looking back, God wasn't simply giving me more information. He was shaping my life through His people.
         8. That's one of the beautiful things about the Church. We don't just attend together. We grow together. God uses His people to help us become more like Jesus.

3. We Belong Together

   1. Text: Galatians 6:2
   2. Jesus didn't just gather people to worship and grow together. He gathered them to belong to one another.
   3. Paul writes in Galatians 6:2, "Carry one another's burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." That's a remarkable command. It assumes we'll know each other well enough to recognize when someone is carrying something heavy. You can't carry a burden you never see.
   4. That's one of the reasons I love the local church. It becomes a place where people stop being strangers and start becoming family. People celebrate with you when life is good, and they show up when life falls apart.
   5. I've seen that happen over and over again. I've watched people bring meals to families who were overwhelmed. I've seen people sit quietly in hospital rooms. I've watched friends pray through impossible situations, help someone move, watch each other's kids, and stand beside one another through loss. None of those moments happened because someone was paid to care. They happened because the Church became a family.
   6. The world offers connection, but Jesus offers belonging. Those aren't the same thing.
   7. You can have thousands of followers online and still feel completely alone. You can know hundreds of names and still wonder if anyone really knows you. But when the Church is healthy, people don't just know your name. They know your story. They celebrate your victories, carry your burdens, and remind you that you're not walking through life alone.
   8. That's why Paul describes the Church as a body. When one part hurts, the whole body hurts. When one part rejoices, everyone rejoices. That's the kind of family Jesus came to build.

4. We Reach The World Together

   1. Text: Matthew 28:18-20
   2. Jesus didn't gather His Church simply to worship together, grow together, and care for one another. He gathered us so that together we could reach the world.
   3. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave His followers one final assignment: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:19). He didn't give that command to one pastor or one missionary. He gave it to His Church.

   4. That's why I love the local church. When we come together, we become part of something far bigger than ourselves. Together we send missionaries, care for families in need, serve our cities, plant churches, support foster families, feed the hungry, and take the gospel to people who have never heard the name of Jesus.

      1. None of us could accomplish all of that alone. But together, we can.

         5. One of the beautiful things about the Church is that every person has a role to play. Some people preach. Some people welcome guests. Some lead worship. Some pray. Some give generously. Some serve behind the scenes where hardly anyone notices. Yet every act of obedience matters because every role advances the mission Jesus gave His Church.

      2. That's the picture Paul gives in 1 Corinthians 12. The body only works when every part does its part.

         6. When I look around this room, I don't just see people attending church. I see people changing eternity.

      3. Every invitation matters.

      4. Every prayer matters.
      5. Every act of generosity matters.
      6. Every volunteer matters.
      7. Every conversation about Jesus matters.
         7. Jesus didn't establish His Church just to gather people on Sundays. He established His Church to send His people into the world every day.

Closing:

So why do I love the Church?

Not because it's perfect.

I've seen its flaws. I've seen its failures. I've seen people get hurt. But I've also seen what Jesus sees. I've seen people worship when they had every reason to give up. I've seen people grow into who God created them to be. I've seen strangers become family. I've seen ordinary people make an eternal difference in the lives of others.

That's the Church Jesus came to build.

The Church isn't perfect because it's made up of imperfect people. But it's still God's plan for reaching the world. Jesus loved the Church so much that He gave Himself for her. He didn't die for a building. He died for His people. He died for His bride. And if Jesus loves His Church that much, I want to love what He loves.

Maybe you're here today and you've been disappointed by the Church. Maybe you've been hurt. Maybe you've drifted away. Or maybe you've never really understood why the Church matters.

My prayer is that today you've caught a glimpse of what Jesus intended His Church to be.

Not just a place you attend. A family you belong to.

A people who worship together, grow together, carry one another's burdens, and take the hope of Jesus to the world together.

Because this week, somewhere in the world, a volunteer will rock a crying baby in a nursery so a young couple can hear the gospel. Someone will bring a meal to a family that's overwhelmed. Someone will sit quietly beside a hospital bed. Someone will pray with a friend who's ready to give up. Someone will invite a neighbor to church. Someone will share the hope of Jesus. That's the Church.

Imperfect? Absolutely. But still the most beautiful movement on earth because Jesus is still building it.

Invitation:

And before you can belong to the family of God, you have to become part of the family of God.

The Bible tells us that we've all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. That's true of me, it's true of you, and it's why Jesus came. He lived the perfect life we could never live, died the death we deserved, and rose again so that anyone who places their faith in Him can be forgiven, made new, and welcomed into God's family.

If you've never trusted Jesus, today can be the day that everything changes. In just a moment, I'm going to lead you in a simple prayer. The words don't save you. Jesus does. But if this prayer expresses the faith of your heart, the Bible says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Let's pray.

Walking Points:

1. Invitation for salvation
2. To those still on the journey, keep showing up
3. Recommit to loving the local church, His bride.

Prayer of Salvation:

Jesus, I acknowledge that I need you

I confess that I have sinned against you

I believe that God raised you from the dead

And right now, by faith, I say “Jesus is Lord”

Thank you for forgiving me

By your grace I am saved

And by your power I am set free