The Way God Build's His Church — Zac Poonen

The Church as a Three-Story Building

We've been Considering in these days what God has taught us. One of the things we've learned through the years is that the church is like a three-story building and the first store first of all the foundation and then first story second story third story.

The foundation of the church is God's perfect love for us. Manifested in Christ Jesus told his disciples in John 17 and verse 23 the father loved you as He loved me. This was the truth that revolutionized my life.

I'd never heard it anywhere else. But it brought such security into my life because I was a very insecure young man. Before becoming a Christian and even after becoming a Christian very timid shy reserved withdrawn inward-looking and Insecure.

I always felt God was angry with me or frowning at me. Because I was always if I did some little slip-up he was angry with me and It was such a revolutionary thought to hear that. The father loved me John 17 23 as much as he loved Jesus.

There are many verses in the Bible that teaches that God loves us. But as far as I know, this is the only one that tells us how much he loved us. As much as he loved Jesus. And I can't gee God never the father never looked at Jesus with a frown.

His attitude to Jesus was always this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased not only it is baptism but all through his life. So It's very important to get this foundation right because many of you I feel You're insecure and when you're insecure you are jealous of other people.

You compete with other people. You want to imitate someone who's got a better gift than you. You want to preach like somebody else and you want to have a ministry that somebody else all this Is because of insecurity.

When you're secure in your heavenly father, let me tell you this you will never be in competition with another human being. You'll rejoice when somebody has got a gift ten times better than yours and you'll never want to be like him.

You'll be perfectly secure. If somebody married the person you wanted to marry, it's fine. You say well God's got somebody else for me. All these problems that a lot of Christians have. Disappear when you find security in the fact that God loves you.

As he loved Jesus Christ. But it's only if you commit yourself completely to him. That you can experience that. Because Jesus didn't look at the world all the multitude and say do you know God loves you as he loved Jesus.

And I can't say that to everybody sitting here. But Jesus never said it to everybody sitting here. He told it to his 11 disciples who had Forsaken everything to follow him. I don't mean you've got to be full-time workers.

But that you have no idols in your life that Christ is everything to you. Then this verse is for you. Paul was not a full-time worker. He was a tent maker. He earned his own living most of the time but he could come rejoice in the fact that the father loved him as he loved Jesus and I believe this is the whole this is the secret of a stable Christian life.

A Blameless Conscience as the First Story

It must begin there and then you have the first story, which is a personal walk with God. That is always living with a clear conscience always always always all said In Acts 24 and verse 16. Here's another great verse that we've often thought about things that God has taught us.

Very important to know this. What God has taught us? God has taught us. To always acts 24 16 to always always means 24 hours a day. Seven days a week have a blameless conscience. Before God and before men.

What does that mean? It's not perfect. It means if you're in kindergarten. You get hundred percent in kindergarten subjects. Next year you go to first standard you get a hundred percent in first standard subjects.

Five years later you're in sixth standard much higher standard. You're getting hundred percent in sixth standard subjects at each level. Your conscience is blameless, but the sixth standard conscience is much more sensitive than the kindergarten conscience.

But even if you're converted yesterday, you can have a blameless conscience at your level. But you should not be in that level forever. Just like you don't want your children to be in kindergarten forever.

So a blameless conscience when Paul says it it's different from somebody here saying it because Paul was at a postgraduate level the Christian life and you may be in standard one, but you can have a blameless conscience wherever you are.

We must always progress with a blameless conscience. That means as far as you know God does not hold you responsible for areas of your life that you don't know. There is conscious sin and unconscious sin in our life.

James chapter 4 says. In the last verse. To him that knows to do good. Knows the right thing to do and does not do it. It is sin. It's a very liberating verse. If you know that something is right James 4 17 and you don't do it then it is sin.

But there could be a whole lot of areas, which you don't know is right. Because you haven't grown to that level and you don't have to worry about it someone who's at a much higher level understands the Lord better and See, this is a very important thing in husband-wife relationships, which is the second story.

I'll come to that in a minute that you must look at your marriage partner husband or wife or another brother in the church as Not necessarily in the same standard as you. So don't look down on him if there is something he does which you would never do.

It's like for example, I asked this question if a 10th standard student who is studying complicated mathematical subjects like calculus or Higher algebra or something like that. If he looks down at a first standard student and says hey, you don't know algebra.

Who is the fool tell me? There's the 10th standard student. He's the fool. Asking a first standard student. Why don't you know algebra? So when you look down on someone another believer and apply it to your life and You say hey, you don't see this as sin, which I see you're the fool.

Because he may not be or she may not be at your level. So to him who knows the right thing to do and does not do it then it is sin. But what if you as a husband know certain thing is this is how God wants me to live.

But your wife has not yet come to that level. I'm absolutely convinced That a person can do something wrong and it's not a sin for him because he hasn't got light on it yet. But for you it is sin. I know certain things are our sin for me because I've understood the Lord at a certain level.

But I look at another person doing exact completely wrong and I would not judge him. That's the main way to stop judging other people. Many people say how can I stop judging others? Well, I'll tell you Recognize that every believer is at a different level.

You're not at your level. It's wrong for you, but it may not be wrong for him because he does not yet know. That is the right thing to do. So to him who knows what is the right thing to do and does not do it that is sin.

So, please remember this so a blameless conscience means at your level. So that is the first story on the foundation of God's love we build a story where we have a blameless conscience. So come back to Acts 24 you see something here, which many Christians you'd probably never have heard this preached anywhere else.

I never heard it in any other church the things God has taught us. Here is one of them. Paul says to this governor Felix. Who he was standing before as a judge. Paul was like a criminal and he said I want to tell you something Paul says in verse 14 that acts 24 14.

These people who accused me Say that I belong to a cult. There are many people around us who have accused us of that. A sect means a cult. He said they accused me of that. That's okay. I'm not bothered.

But I'll tell you what this so-called cult that I belong to teaches. It teaches us to serve God verse 14 to believe everything written in the Word of God. Everything we don't leave out certain sections saying it is not for us.

Is this a cult that believes everything written in God's Word and serves God and Who had and we have a hope? Where's 15 that one day there'll be a there'll be two resurrections the resurrection of the righteous and the resurrection of the wicked.

Now, this is the important thing. How do you ensure that you will be in the resurrection of the righteous? Almost every Christian will say I Accepted Jesus Christ some years ago. I'm going to be in the resurrection of the righteous.

That is not what Paul said. I know that is what numerous churches and Christians teach. I Don't know where they get it from. But here's what the Apostle Paul who had revelation from heaven said. There will be a resurrection of the righteous.

And of the wicked and I don't want to be in the resurrection of the wicked. I want to be in the resurrection of the righteous in view of this. How do I get into the resurrection of the righteous? We're 16.

I do my best To keep my conscience always blameless before God and Before men if it was a secret sin in my thought against God, I immediately confess it and get it, right. If it was a sin, I hurt somebody else.

Your marriage partner or someone else I immediately confess it to that person ask forgiveness said it, right? Why do I do that verse 15 and 16 because I want to be in the resurrection of the righteous.

Hey, but didn't you settle that many years ago when you accepted Christ as your Savior that was the beginning. But if I don't keep my conscience clear today. You're fooling yourself. If you think you're going to be in the resurrection of the righteous according to Acts 24 15 and 16 it is because this is not taught.

There are so many so-called born-again Christians including many sitting here perhaps. Who take sin lightly? You take sin lightly and you say, of course, I'll be in the resurrection of the righteous.

I Don't want you to blame me in the day when the resurrect the righteous are resurrected and you're not there. I Don't want you to blame me that I taught you something wrong. I'm going to teach you the truth today.

That if you want to be in the resurrection of the righteous keep your conscience blameless. Not perfect. I told you if you're in first standard first standard level, that's enough. You'll be in the resurrection of the righteous, but don't live there forever.

You've got to progress move on and you will not move on unless you Live according to the light you have. The Bible says in Psalm 119 verse 105 Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. You all know that verse think of a flashlight a torch if you have a torch or a flashlight you can see only a certain distance in front of you and God's Word is like that.

God's Word is not like the sunlight that lightens up the whole path and I just keep walking. No a Lamp unto my feet. That means it's like a flashlight I see a certain distance if I want to see some more.

What do I have to do? I have to walk in this light that I've all God has already given me and I walk in the light the flashlight moves or I see some more and I walk in that light I see somewhere. Isn't that how you walk with a flashlight or a torch?

You can only see a certain distance. So that's all God wants you to walk in in that light. Forget about all the miles ahead this distance that you see. Keep your conscience clear. You'll be in the resurrection of the righteous even if you were converted yesterday.

But people were converted long ago and sit back and say oh, yeah, I accepted the Lord and look at The way you live today with sin. It's because you don't see this seriously. Paul said in view of this resurrection of the righteous I keep my conscience blameless to what God and to what men and Why is it you find some of you find it difficult to?

Go and ask forgiveness from some human being. You say you've confessed it to God but God is a million times holier than this human being and You can confess to a holy God and you can't confess to a sinful human being that teaches one thing.

You're not really confessing to God. You are confessing to yourself thinking you're confessing to God. Because if you confess sin to a holy God, you can definitely confess a sin to a human being who is one millionth of God's holiness.

So many times we are deceiving ourselves when we say we are confessing to the Lord. We say we are praying to God, but we are not praying to God. Let me give you an example of that from Luke chapter 17.

Prayer, Self-Deception, and Honest Worship

Luke 18 read this verse you've read it many times and probably you've not noticed it. Luke 18 we did of a Pharisee the Pharisee prayed to God. But it says here in Luke 18 verse 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed God, I thank you that I'm not like other people to whom was he praying.

What does your Bible say? You read it. He was praying to himself. He was not praying to God. Jesus said he was praying to himself God. I thank you. Do you know that a lot of so-called Christian prayers are not prayed to God?

Most public prayers where in a meeting a person gets up and it says Oh God our father and pray something. He's not praying to God at all he's praying for all the congregation to hear and He's more conscious of the people in the congregation than he's of God.

Because that's not the way he prays in private when he's kneeling by his bedside. No, no, no, no. In kneeling by his bedside. He's not trying to pray with impressive words. In public he wants to pray with all these fantastic words.

Because people are there. So whom is he praying to. He's praying to the people. How do I know because that's how I started praying myself when I started praying in public. First of all, it was always to the people.

I Was 22 years old. I was an assembly 23 years old and they would have everybody would pray and I'd also pray and I'd go home. And say Lord, I didn't pray that to you. I Was to the people for years and years and years I would go back to God and confess Lord, I'm sorry I did not pray to you.

I prayed to the people and because God saw I was honest and I desperately wanted to be free from this one day I became free. That now when I pray in public I pray to God. Some of you after many many years of praying in public.

You're still praying to the people. You know, why? Because after that you don't go home and judge yourself and confess to God that you prayed to the people. And I tell you you're doomed to pray to people all your life because you're not honest.

God loves honest people. Start this practice from today onwards whenever you pray in public and you pray to the people go home and confess it to God. Lord, I'm sorry. I didn't pray to you. I prayed to the people and you do that often again and again again one day.

You will pray to God even in public. It's a great liberation. It's been a great liberation for me. The same with singing. I Used to sing song sing song because I know the tune. I know the words that sing and not even mean it and in some places we have song books and I used to they would announce a certain sing and song and I would sing it sing it sing it and Afterwards I realized hey I didn't even think about what I was saying because I know the word so well and I know the tune so well and Then by the time they have announced the next song, you know what I would do.

I People are singing the next song. I'd go to the previous song and not sing it but I'd go through the words. And say Lord, I want to mean every sentence that I Emptily sang to you five minutes ago and I'd go through the whole thing while they're singing the next song.

And by the time they finish the one song, I just still trying to finish the previous one. That is how seriously I took Meaning what I say to God. Now I find most people are not like that. They like the tune and they swing their hips and this that and the other and they Clap and raise their hands and all that, but they don't mean what they are saying.

And so it doesn't mean much to them. See and as I began to be more honest with myself and took songs seriously. The Lord showed me another thing things that God taught us. I Saw in Revelation chapter 5 That they sing in heaven and Do you know what they sing in heaven?

That Jesus shed his blood for us and was killed. Revelation 5 9 The middle you were slain and with your blood you purchased from every tribe and tongue. That is two thousand year old song. But it says here in verse 9.

It was a new song. How can a 2 ,000 year old song be a new song. You know, I that's when I started reading the Bible carefully. I'm sure you read that hundreds of times. You probably not didn't even notice it.

But I decided to meditate and so when I meditate something happens. I begin to think about it. How can a 2 ,000 year old song be a new song? You mean these people are hearing for the first time that Jesus died for their sins?

No. Then I understood as I meditated on it. It means It's like a fresh song as if I'm hearing it for the first time Jesus Died for me. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how he could love me a sinner condemned unclean and I said Lord I prayed a little prayer when I got light on that I Said please help me Lord.

That for the rest of my life and even when I get to heaven. That I will never sing about your blood or your death for me as if I knew it long ago. I Want to sing it as a new song as a fresh song every single time I sing it.

It must be new to me. That's why sometimes when you sing about the cross Tears come in my eyes even now because it's as if I'm hearing for the first time Jesus died for me and that's why I've been forgiven he was slain.

He was forsaken by the father. So that I might never be forsaken by the father. It's a new song and I wanted to always be a new song in my life. It doesn't matter if I Don't sing the right tune, but it must be the new song for me every time I hear That song or I wonder how he could love a sinner Condemned unclean like me.

I want to recommend to you my brothers and sisters Take the songs you sing and the prayers you pray seriously the words of it. It doesn't matter if you have to sometimes even now when the words are on the screen.

And people are down to the second verse and I'm still on the first verse. I Don't sing the second verse because I don't want to disrupt the Singing because I'm on the first verse still I'm still thinking about How he could love a sinner condemned unclean like me.

I'm not saying do it artificially. All I'm saying is Try to mean every sentence and see if it is scriptural. That's why I can't sing certain songs. There's a song very popular in many Christians because circles will guide me.

Oh thou great Jehovah pilgrim through this barren land. You heard me speak about this many times. I Never called God Jehovah. That's what the Israelites called him. So when other people are singing guide me or thou great Jehovah well-known song in Christian circles I see guide me or my heavenly father because he's my dad.

But people come to me and say isn't his name Jehovah, yes. But if one of my sons come to me and says, mr. Poonen, I want to talk to you I'd say what's wrong with you. Are you angry with me or something?

Isn't your name? Mr. Poonen? Yes, my name is to put him where you don't call me that you call me dad. So when you say my guide me over thou great Jehovah, that's what God will say. What are you angry with me?

You're calling me Jehovah. Are you are you a Jew? Are you an Israelite? Very few Christians Know God as father. I'm absolutely convinced about it and they sing all these things emptily. It's a ritual.

I Was once many years ago in one part of Northern Karnataka many years ago Before CFC days and I went there for some Christian work and there were a number of so-called non-christians who were converted by the missionaries and as all shallow conversions and you know, all that they did was the their songs.

The old songs was to Krishna and they changed it to Christa and Sing the same songs. It is just one syllable that was changed and they became Christians. Shallow empty hollow, but I don't judge them. I've seen much more educated Christians who say they are born again who sing in exactly the same way.

Meaningless. No fear of God. So keep your conscience clear always mean what you say to God. That's what we have learned and From there you build a second story. Which is your family life? If you're married.

Family Life and Qualifications for Church Leadership

Your life with your wife and children. That's on top of your personal walk with God. If you have a family a Church comes later on family. How you live with your wife? How you bring up your children? Very very important.

The Bible says in 1 Timothy and chapter 3 That if a man does not know A verse 5 how to manage his own family. How can he be an elder in the church? It says there 1 Timothy 3 5 that the qualification For running a church is first you run your family.

Church is third story. Second story is your family. Live in a proper way with your wife. Bring up your children in a godly way, then you can qualify for leadership in the church. It's not just Bible knowledge.

But there are so many people today and nowadays who even divorce their wife and Their pastors, I'm sorry to see Christians have lowered the standards of divorce all over the world and Pastors are accepting it and they're marrying divorced people and our stand in the church is very clear.

We never permit divorce. And I will never conduct the marriage of a divorced person. I Haven't done it and I'll never do it till Jesus comes. Because Jesus said divorce is adultery. So we can never sanction it and among the members of our churches in 42 years We have never had a divorce.

Till today and I hope you'll never have one. If a person divorces like in case committing adultery I say brother you should leave the church you shouldn't be here. There are many many churches that will accept you even conduct your go-go there.

But you can't stay in this church and divorce your wife. I'm sorry. So I'm just giving you an example how standards are so Lord around the world and it's spreading. I remember a time in India. Even 42 years ago when we started divorce was almost unheard of among Christians in India, but now it has become so common for any rhyme or reason they say I divorced my wife and I Suspect something or this that and the other how in the world?

Can you do that? The only reason said you can you got to prove that your husband or your wife committed adultery with someone and. And then you are permit even then you can forgive that person the best is to forgive and continue to retain the marriage but Otherwise you are permitted to divorce, but you must not marry again.

He who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. It is so clear. I say people ask me. What is my position? I say my position is exactly what Jesus said in Matthew 5 and Matthew 19. I don't care who teaches something else.

That is the position of the church and we will never change from that you modify one thing in God's Word and This is what's happening. You know some something happens to somebody's brother or some loved one and then they say, okay.

Okay, we got to modify it. That is how The standards in the church go down in many parts of the world. I'll tell you this is what happens in the matter of dowry. We've taken a strong stand on dowry in the matter of marriage that we will never Allow dowry in this church when I conduct a marriage I get a certificate from the bride and bride room that we have not exchanged any dowry in this matter.

We removed an elder from one of our churches because he gave dowry for his daughter. Yes, we take a standard. I say we don't want it. We'd rather close down a church without an elder than have disobey God's Word.

Where are the churches that? Maintain these standards. We said no, no, no, we have to preserve the church, etc. But Lord the standards that won't be a church anymore. That'll be a club. If you lower God's standards, it will not be a church of Jesus Christ anymore.

It'll be a little club which you have modified the standards of God's Word and I tell you throughout the years This has been the greatest battle in Christendom. That there are very very few people who will say we are going to maintain God's standards.

Even if everybody leaves this church, I remember when we started The Lord and we was our message was so unpopular that the Lord asked me what what if Everybody leaves you notice the only you and your wife stick together.

I say fine. I don't care. I'm not going to lower my standard because it is not a theory to me. It has worked in my life. How can I give it up? So family life is very very important, you know, some people have asked me brother Zack.

Standards for Inviting Church Leaders

Why is it you don't invite other people to come and speak in your church in your conferences? I'll tell you I mean glad to invite anybody to come but I look for certain conditions. I Said number one. I Want to see if this man is a humble approachable man.

One whom you can easily go and talk to not one Who's very distant from you or like some preachers nowadays as soon as they finish preaching they disappear. Nobody can talk to them. No, no, no, I'm not saying that a preacher has time to speak to 1 ,000 people it may not have.

I don't have time either but he's approachable. That's the point. That means when he's free. He's approachable. He's humble. He's not exalting himself. He doesn't present himself to you as someone so superior to you, but at your level.

That's the first thing I see when I whom shall I invite to speak in this portrait number one. Is he a humble person? Secondly, I want to see that this guy is absolutely zero interest in making money in Christian work.

Is he coming to the church to get an offering? Is he a person who's trying to make money out of his preaching gift? I don't want him not in this pulpit. There are hundreds of churches that will accept you but don't come here.

We will not give you an offering and we're not interested in that and we if I suspect that in you. You won't come anywhere here at all. So the number decreases, you know when you find people who are humble and approachable and who are not interested in money at all suddenly the number has become decreased and Then the third thing I look for is how has he brought up his children?

We read here if we can't bring up his children. He can't teach the church anything. What will he teach some Greek or Hebrew and from the scripture? I'm not interested in that. How has he brought up his children?

So I want to see a man who has brought up his children well because Our children know us better than anybody else other people see us 5 of the time in the church meeting children see us 100 of the time.

They know many things About you, which other people don't know and if your children are not following the Lord, they saw that you are a hypocrite at home. So I say I want to see what type of way I'm not saying your children should be preachers.

No, that's a matter of gift, but they must be following the Lord. And if they're not following the Lord if they're not interested in the message of discipleship that you preach. Then I don't want to judge you, but I don't want to have you in my pulpit.

Sorry and Then number four. I want to see what some of his closest co-workers are like. Not he that he's not just a one-man show. But I'm not saying that his closest co-workers preach like him preaching is a gift.

I don't look for gift. I look for life. That When I if I look at Timothy Timothy may not be able to preach like Paul that's okay. But I see in Timothy the life that Paul had so when I look at a close co-worker of a brother I Can see what life he lived, but if he's got no co-worker like that, then I say these guys are hypocrite.

I don't want him. So I want to see what his close co-workers are like close not all. Because Paul had some Demases who loved money and went away on the fringe then the fifth thing I look for is Has he planted a church somewhere.

Which is like a family can you show me a church that he's planted somewhere where they seek to build like a family. When I see these five things in anybody, I'll be glad to invite him to our church. Show me where they are.

Show me some man like that. I'll invite him here. I said that is the reason why I find it so difficult to get someone to preach in our pulpit or in our conferences. Just because somebody is a famous preacher.

I'm not interested. There's so many famous preachers who don't fulfill some of these conditions, but I look for all five. So the family is very important. And then finally on top of that we build the church as the family of God so This is this first the conscience and then your own personal family and then the then your ministry in the church.

That's why we have taught in this church your family must come as more important than your ministry in the church. Don't sacrifice your family to do ministry in the church because you lose your family and ultimately you lose your ministry in the church as well.

I'm not saying that we don't have to deny ourselves. If you don't deny yourself, then of course, you'll never serve the Lord. Sometimes we have to deny certain things in our family, but family is more important than the church.

Building on the Rock Through Obedience

They turn to John's Sorry Matthew's gospel chapter 7. I just want to show you something at the beginning and the end of the Sermon on the Mount. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told a parable of a man who built a house and That house can be a picture of your personal life.

It can be a picture of your family and it's a picture of the church. That house is built. Are a picture of all three. Your personal life is like a house your family is like a house and your church is like a house and This man there were two options.

There was one man who decided I'm going to listen to everything. Understand everything maybe even preach everything but not obey everything the other man. He may not have been able to explain. He was not a great preacher.

But he obeyed everything that was the big difference between the two. Don't be impressed by somebody who can explain doctrine. The why the foolish man who built his house on sand? Was verse 26 of Matthew 7 he heard these things.

Maybe he understood them. Maybe he was excited about them. The only thing he didn't do them these words of mine verse 26. What do these words of mine refer to Matthew 5 6 7 the Sermon on the Mount. Those who listen to these words in the Sermon on the Mount and Do them are?

Building on rock. Those who hear these words of mine and take notes and don't do them. They're building on sand. So I say Lord I want my personal life to be built on the rock. And the Lord said obey everything in the Sermon on the Mount.

Lord I want my family to be built on the rock. Obey everything in the Sermon on the Mount. Lord I want my church to be built on the rock then teach them the Sermon on the Mount because that's what he said.

If you hear these words and do them this house will be built on the rock. So in the early days We began to teach the Sermon on the Mount for many many weeks. First of all, we taught the conditions of discipleship love God love Jesus more than your parents more than your self-life and more than material things.

That is Luke 14 26 to 33 that also is not preached in many places. But having preached that and water baptism in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit. Then we came to building Personal life family life church life on the rock.

So we decided we have to teach the Sermon on the Mount. So we began with the Sermon on the Mount in the first sentence. Blessed are the poor in spirit for the whole kingdom of heaven is theirs. I say, wow.