The Church as a Burning Bush — Zac Poonen

A Pure Testimony and the Foundation of the Church

So the sum and substance of all that we've been saying in these days is That God is not looking for a large testimony on the earth. But a pure testimony not for a large city like Babylon, but a pure city like Jerusalem and If that grips us really grips us.

We will see how terribly disappointed God is. With the condition of most groups that call themselves churches because They have not kept the standards of purity. They've not kept this and purity means Basically not our idea of purity, but God's idea of purity.

And God has shown us his standard in his word. The when it says that the church is built I Asked people sometimes, you know, what is the foundation of The Christian life that's Jesus Christ other foundation can no man lay one.

Corinthians chapter 3. Then what is already laid verse 10 Jesus Christ? But what about the foundation of the church? Yeah, in one sense Christ is the foundation of the church. But I want to show you a verse which sometimes many of you may not think of.

Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 19 onwards. You are no longer strangers foreigners but your fellow citizens with the saints of God's family and You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.

Are you built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets? Say no, I'm built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Do you believe that is inspired by the Holy Spirit in your Bible or it's? Mistake if it is a mistake scratch it out.

I Don't believe it's a mistake. That's the Holy Spirit who said You're built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets and you say where does Christ come in then? Christ Jesus being the cornerstone.

You know what a cornerstone is the olden days when they constructed buildings. They didn't have all the fancy equipment that we have today. They would first lay a cornerstone and That cornerstone had to be perfectly 90 degrees in all three directions.

This way this way and this way this way this way this way. It had to be perfect it could not be 89 degrees or 91 degrees. Because everything was going to be aligned, you know. Think of a building where one corner you put a big cornerstone and then you align all the stones in that line.

They're all the stones in that line here and all the stones vertically. Over here and all the stones vertically there. Boy, there's a slight error in that cornerstone. The building will grow crooked. Don't in one degree error in the cornerstone.

The whole building will go crooked and the building will not be Rectangular or square it'll be the cornerstone was the most important. Jesus was perfect In all directions towards God towards men towards the devil.

His attitude was absolutely perfect. Towards God towards human beings towards the devil. We have three directions three dimensions towards God towards human beings towards the devil. Jesus attitude was perfect in all three areas.

He was a perfect cornerstone. The apostles what they did. They were next to that. They were closest to the cornerstone and they aligned themselves to have the same attitude Towards God towards human beings towards the devil and on the foundation of those early apostles and prophets.

The church was built. That is why The epistles are as important as the words of Jesus in the Gospels. You know many people say I only care for the words of Jesus. But you know one of the last things that Jesus told his disciples before he Went to the cross the Last Supper was.

I've got many more things to say to you. Have you read that verse in John's Gospel? I don't have time to show you all those references, but please look it up. I have many more things to say to you. But you cannot bear them now means you cannot understand them now.

But when the spirit of truth is come He will lead you into all the truth. And he will glorify me because he will take from me and give to you. It's all in John 14 15 16 read it and You can't bear them now means you can't understand them now.

It's like telling a kindergarten student. You know my little boy my little girl. There are things in mathematics called trigonometry geometry. Calculus. Child is confused. It's not just 2 plus 2 is 4 and 3 plus 3 is 6 that's okay in this class.

There are so many wonderful things in mathematics which can help you in your life. And the child will say that's great. When can I learn all that you can't understand them now as you grow you will understand it.

So Jesus was saying to them you can't understand that now. Then the spirit is come he will gradually lead you into all the truth. Now the question is brothers and sisters. Are you going to build the church with kindergarten knowledge?

Then you have a bunch of kindergarten babies in your church. You have to go to see the further revelation that God gave through the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and prophets. That you read in the New Testament Jesus spoke very little about the church.

But he said some important thing one of the first things he said about the church was I will build my church the first time the word church comes in the New Testament and The word is a called-out people.

Churches are called out people. We're not to make the nations into disciples, but we have to make disciples in the nations. You cannot make any nation in a disciple. No in the nations you've got to go and Let Lord lead you to people who want to become disciples.

So with those disciples you can build a church if you don't make them disciples, you'll never build a church. So if we were to say, you know We finally want to conclude with thinking about the church in this session.

Building the Church Through Holy Homes

We talked a lot about our personal life and that's very important. The household of God is those who judge themselves first 1 Peter 4 17 and they don't judge others and Then we spoke about the home life.

Noah's home life. Abraham's home life the home life of elders. There has to be a certain standard now. This was not a law in the Old Testament. In the Old Covenant Home life was not important. We read of a Moses fighting with his wife and his wife yelling at Moses and About the matter of circumcising their child and Finally his wife yielded, you know, Moses was an Israelite.

He should have circumcised his child and For the child grew up and he never circumcised because his father-in-law never believed in circumcision. His wife never believed in circumcision because she was not a daughter of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and He Like many husbands yielded to his wife in the matter of home matters even if it meant disobedience to God.

But now he was going as the leader of God's people and it says in Exodus 4 God tried to kill him. Imagine the one man on earth who was the only one who was ready to fulfill God's purpose. God tries to kill him.

Do you believe that God is so strict that he will even kill the only man on the earth? Who is going to fulfill his purposes? Yes, I don't know what you learned from that. I learned from that that God will never compromise his principles, even if he loses a good man.

For me, the application is this here is a wonderful gifted godly elder brother of a church extremely valuable to me but he compromises. I Say brother step down. Don't ever speak in that church. People may say brother Zach you're losing such a good brother.

You're willing to lose him. God was ready to kill Moses. For a small matter like circumcision, yes, you know what Moses did he sent his wife home. You'll be a pain in the neck to me. If I go to Israel, you're always fighting with me.

Home life was not important in the Old Testament. Moses could be the leader irrespective of how his relationship with his wife was how his children grew up. But when you come to the New Covenant It's different.

Man must build his home before he can build a church. So the burning bush is first of all our personal life and our walk with God. Secondly, it's our home. Our home must be like a burning bush then the church.

And that's where we finally end because that's how the book of Revelation ends. I saw The church coming lying down from heaven like to the Holy City Jerusalem like a bride adorned for her husband. That's how the book of Revelation ends.

The Church, Not Mere Decisions, as God's Goal

God's ultimate goal is not saving souls. This whole business of believers going around saving souls. I challenge anyone to find out such a verse in the New Testament. The apostles did not go around saving souls.

They went around building churches just by the way. For those who don't read that Bible carefully There is a verse in the Old Testament called he who wins souls his wife. It has got nothing to do with bringing people to salvation people quote that verse.

We've got the bad have many Christians of reading a verse completely out of context just because it suits some particular theology I've already framed in my mind. There is no such thing as saving souls in the New Testament.

It's building the church. The Lord about building the church. Jesus said he didn't say I'm going to save souls. He said I'll build my church. But today Evangelist goes and saves souls. You ask this evangelist.

He's there for three days. He stays in some five-star hotel comes and saves souls gets everybody signed a decision card. And he disappears back to America or wherever he comes from and then you come back one month later already sold.

I don't know. That's other people's job. What type of mother are you? What type of mother are you giving birth to babies and throwing them on the road and saying let somebody take care of them. Even the dogs and the cats do better than that.

They take care of their children till they're able to feed themselves and You don't find little kittens and dogs dead on the street because their mothers neglected them. No. But a lot of Christian evangelists do there was no evangelist like that in the New Testament.

Paul was the greatest evangelist of all when he brought people to Christ. He built them into a local church. God Christ doesn't say Christ gave himself for individuals. He gave Christ loved the church and gave himself for it.

God so loved the world gave his son but Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. His goal is to build a church and. An evangelist has a very important part in it. To bring people into the church and make them part of the local church.

Like the body I often think of the picture of the hand is like an evangelist. What is evangelism in one sentence evangelism is the make someone who is not a member of the body a member of the body of Christ.

Simple definition of evangelism. A Man who is not a member of Christ's body making a member of Christ's body not get somebody to go to heaven. Those things are never found in the New Testament. So much of crazy ology that Christians use.

I challenge them show it to me in the Bible. No, it's not there. Where did it come from? It came from some wretched Bible school you went to. Get to the Bible brother. There's no such thing as saving souls and getting people to heaven building the church.

That's what the Bible is full of. Ephesians is full of it. So what does the evangelist do make that personal? No take the human body as an example. Here is a hand evangelist. Going and taking that potato, which is an unbeliever not a member of my body.

I want to make that potato a member of my body. So the hand goes out is the evangelist takes that. Unbeliever that potato. Puts it into the mouth. That's evangelism. Does it become a member of my body by getting into my mouth?

The evangelist goes and bring one more potato. Puts in the mouth. This is what's happening. I've got a hundred potatoes in my mouth and after some time the whole thing becomes rotten and I spit it out.

This is exactly what's happening in Christendom. You know what's got to happen? Once he gets into the mouth, it's got to be chewed. All its pride has to be broken down. It's been made small. It's because it made like mashed potatoes and then it comes into the stomach and the prophetic ministry takes over pour acids on it.

Acids on a new believer. Yeah, that's right. He's a proud person. All that pride has to be broken down and if some potato says no, I don't want to be mashed. I want to remain as a whole potato then you'll be eliminated.

God has put an elimination process also either one way or the other way you vomit it out or the other way you eliminate it. But you can't remain a special potato. You've got to be mashed and once you become mashed.

You're just one with the others. That's prophetic ministry. But if a potato submits to it accepts this grinding in the teeth and the mashing in the and the acids poured on it finally with all the impurities eliminated.

Lo and behold after a few weeks It's no longer a potato. It has become flesh and blood in my body. It has become a member of my body. This is the way God builds the church. If you keep on even stuffing the stomach with potatoes, he will vomit it out and you vomit it out.

Yeah, it has to be built into the body. Or to use an illustration the Bible use an illustration of a building in India. We build with bricks. And this building is built with say 10 ,000 bricks. Now, you know how the lorries and the trucks bring the bricks and dump it there.

One brick 100 bricks. 10 ,000 bricks. Now 10 ,000 bricks is not a building. That's like saving souls. We got all the bricks here needed. We want those trucks to bring the bricks. Otherwise, we can't build a house.

But if you leave those bricks there, I know I'll tell you what will happen in India in a week. It will become 9 ,900 another week will become 9 ,800 and It'll become 9 ,700 after a few weeks, there's nothing left there.

That's exactly what happens with a lot of evangelism. They have to be built and there's labor there, but people say no. No, we've got to get more bricks more bricks more bricks. What's the use fighting all these bricks if you don't even build one house?

How many of you will be happy with the contractor you give him a contract to build a house? And he just piles up a hundred thousand bricks and says there's your house. Is how can I live inside this hundred thousand bricks piled up here?

We are so careful about earthly things. But we don't care about God's house. We need to have the spirit of David who said is it Psalm 132 or something? I said I will not give sleep to my eyes till I find a place to build God's house.

I tell you we need a passion like that. Brothers and sisters who say Lord, I want your house to be built. You know when the little church started in our home with seven or eight people 35 years ago. It was a burden that I had carried like a mother in mine.

It's in a baby in the womb for 10 years from 1965 to 1975. I carried a burden in my heart Lord. I want to see a local church built like a body. I want to see a church built according to the way we'd see it in the acts of the apostles.

Pyramid structures with some CEO or Pope on top or general superintendent elected by others. No, the way they did it in the acts of the Apostles. I want to see it evangelists in our church who bring people to Christ, but build them up into the body of Christ.

Yeah. People say brother Zack is against evangelism. No. One of the finest personal evangelists I have met in this whole country and in the whole world is in one of our churches. I challenge you to find a better man than him.

Unfortunately, he's not here right now because he's being beaten up by non-christian somewhere because he's bringing people to Christ. We're not against evangelism, but we are against this collection of bricks.

It doesn't build a house. That's that's it. We believe a hundred percent in using the bricks. I don't have the ability. I don't have the trucks to go and build the bricks. But I thank God for other brothers who go and build the bricks will bring the bricks and then we have to work together.

The mason doesn't go and bring the bricks. He builds it. There's no competition there. The mason is not against the truck driver who brings the bricks. No, they work together. The mason will have nothing to do with the truck driver doesn't bring the bricks and the truck driver can't build the house.

And we have amazing examples that we've seen in the last 30 years. Particularly in Tamil Nadu and all that one brother could bring the bricks in and but he didn't know how to build a house. And another brother couldn't bring the bricks in but he knew how to build a house and we have some wonderful examples now.

A Local Church That Functions as a Body

So this is God's purpose local churches everywhere. The ultimate burning bush that God wants is a body. That functions as a body. We're working together a house, you know, many people say you're stealing our sheep.

Well, you try and steal a brick from this building. Try it come sneakily at night and try and steal one of these bricks. You won't be able to do it. But if you have a pile of 10 ,000 bricks, you can steal as many bricks as you want.

I have never in my life said that anybody has stolen one of my flock. You can't steal them if they are built into a house. And when a man says somebody stole my sheep, that means you never built a house.

You had a pile of bricks then they deserve to be stolen and built somewhere. I remember one place. They asked me brother Zach. Have you come here to steal the sheep? No, I said most of the ones we get our goats first of all in any case, they're not cheap at all we have to convert them to sheep after they come into our church because they never thought about Repentance and sin and all that then then we make them part of a flock.

If you want to use that illustration or if you want to use another illustration, maybe they are born again. But they are like children in kindergarten. You go to a village where they have a hundred kindergarten schools only kindergarten.

No other school. Nope, not even primary. No first standard second standard. All there's a three-year-old sitting in the kindergarten. There's a fifty five-year-old man still sitting in the kindergarten still trying to learn ABCC 80 cat BAT.

And so we go to that village and say listen. We would like to start a school here. For first standard and second standard and third standard people want to go a little higher than kindergarten. No, no, no.

You're stealing our students. This 55 year old student has been so happy to sit here in the kindergarten forever. I know but that's because there was nothing better for him here. He'd be very happy if he goes to first standard and study some multiplication and division.

Did he help him in his life? Are we competing with somebody? No. We're just trying to lead people higher. And we don't even charge any school fees for them. Isn't that the best part of it? It's free. All the teaching is free.

We even give them food free. What more do you want? What are we trying to get for ourselves? We only want them to be educated for the glory of God. So whichever example you take building a house building a family we have children.

We don't throw them on the street. Do you know how long all of you are many of your fathers and mothers? How long does it take? To make a child stand on his own legs in India. It's about 25 years. Maybe in Western countries 18 or 20 years, but in India is about 25 years.

Before a child can stand on its own feet and go on on his own. Till then the father and mother have to take care of them in many ways in their little. Many ways less and less and then later educate them and spend money on them and so many things.

Finally it stands on its own feet. What do you do? You say no. No, we want more children. We just want to have children children drop put them on the street. Then we are worse than the dogs and the cats and the pigs also take care of their little ones.

I don't want to be worse than them. This is the tragedy in Christendom today. People are not being built into a family. The house is not being built. The flock is not being put together, but people say Oh Jesus said if a man had a hundred sheep and One sheep is lost he goes after that one sheep and Brings him back.

And then I said hang on hang on read the Bible slowly. Let me read to you the rest of that verse in Luke 15. So I say to you Oh Luke 15 7. There is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. Not who signed a decision card.

Not who raised his hand in a meeting who repents. Which gospel meeting have you heard about repentance. Tell me I've been to a number of gospel meetings. All I hear is God loves you brother come to Jesus some fellow emotionally sings a song.

But just as I am and without one clean the fellows all get moved. They don't repent. They don't know what repentance is. They don't know what sin is. They accept Christ. Do they become disciples one sinner?

There's no joy in heaven over a man who signs a decision card. There is no joy in heaven or a man who comes up to the front at an altar call. No. It's a deception to think that heaven rejoices over ten people or a hundred people coming forward in an altar call.

Over one sinner who repents who turns from sin. He cannot turn from sin unless he's told what sin is and he's told to repent then over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. Do you want Jesus definition of a church?

Listen to this Jesus Definition of a church here it is 99 Righteous persons who need no repentance get me 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. That's the Church of Jesus Christ. That's in Jesus own words.

Bring that lost fellow into such a group. But if you've got 99 people who are fighting and quarreling and backbiting and Lusting after women and doing internet pornography. I say brother. Please don't bring that lost sheep here.

You'll pick up these bad habits. He's safer out there in the wilderness for a little more while. We'll wait till we get these 99 people, okay, then we will bring him into a safe flock. I Don't want to bring him into a diseased flock and gets all types of diseases like some of these government hospitals.

You get admitted there you get diseases that you never had when you went in. Lot of our churches are like that. I don't want it not about churches. We have a pretty good standard, but many other churches.

Repentance, Doctrine, and the Evidence of a Good Harvest

It's very interesting that all these people who accuse us of false doctrine can never accuse us of a bad life. Well, what they say is these people that doctrine is wrong, but their life is good. That's as crazy as saying to a farmer.

You've got a good crop, but your seed was bad. Seed is like doctrine when people analyze our doctrines like putting a seed in the microscope. I said don't put in the microscope soil. In ten years later, you'll see whether it's good seed or bad.

And all the people who have accused us for 35 years. That every one of them has had to say every one of them. These people their life is good, but their doctrine is bad. The crop is good. The harvest is good, but the seed is very bad.

What about you? Our seed is perfect. I mean the harvest is bad. That's all dear brothers. Do you see the deception going around in Christendom? What is the proof of a good doctrine a good life? So 99 righteous persons who need no repentance is my definition of a church in Jesus own words.

First of all, they are righteous. Secondly they need no repentance. You mean to say there are people who need no repentance. I'll raise my hand. I Need no repentance. Because I've already repented about something even today.

Every day, I'm repenting. That's why I don't need repentance. How can I tell him say that a person is never hungry? Because he's eating every day you're not hungry every day is not. He goes by day after day without being hungry because he's eating every day.

That's the meaning of he doesn't need repentance because he's repenting every day. He's the guy who does not repent who needs repentance. Such a fellow is not fit to be in our church. I want to say to all of you in Jesus name.

You have no business being in our church. If you don't repent every day go and find some other dead third-rate church and go and live there and dishonor God's name as much As you like but don't come to a church that's seeking to glorify God and live here without repentance every day.

If you did something wrong, that's okay. You're forgiven but repent say Lord. Help me. Maybe you'll fall again, but repent. Maybe you'll fall a tenth time repent. Maybe you'll fall a hundred times in the same area, but repent.

You can be with us forever. And who needs to repent the most the elders because They are judged by a higher standard. I teach you I will be judged by the highest standard of all. I Realize that I fear it.

I know that if there's one day that goes by in my life without my seeing something on Christ like in me. It's like the day when you are stinking with perspiration and dirt and you didn't take a shower that day.

You didn't take a bath. Oh. We are so careful when we stink with sweat and perspiration. I want to have a shower, but there are many important things to do that can wait. I've got to get my bath first.

You know, I really believe after many years of observing Christians that the reason why There are not more wholehearted people. Listen to this is they love their body more than their soul. I Am absolutely convinced about it.

They love their body more than their soul. They hate sickness more than sin. They are more afraid of sickness than of sin. They take so much care of their body when they are sick so little care about sin.

No wonder we don't have so many wholehearted people. And God is searching for those. Who will say how many of you? Will value your soul more than your body. How many of you will hate sin more than you hate sickness.

Humility, Trembling at God's Word, and Encouragement

You want to build my house. Turn to Isaiah 66. I Believe many of us want to build God's house. And every one of you can build it. Even if you don't have the gift of preaching like me. You can build God's house.

Yesterday I was Asking the elder brothers when I was speaking to them. Can you tell me some of the important parts of the human body. Of course they said important parts heart liver kidney eyes ears and all.

I says, all right, I See, you know. Well, if I were to ask you to mention the important parts of the body you'll say that also will any of you mention the little finger. Maybe about hundred down the list.

You'll come the little finger, but even then. You may not mention the nails. The nails are the most insignificant part of our human body. But when you feel scratchy somewhere your heart and liver and kidney and eyes and ears cannot help you.

Even your little finger cannot help you. It's these teeny-weeny nails that really bless you. And you feel so relieved some people feel so much. They ask other people will you scratch my back? And after this scratches shall I stop?

No, no scratch some more. You know what that ministry is it's called in the New Testament the ministry of Encouragement. Encouragement scratch my back. You can't do it. If somebody asks you to scratch his back, can you do it?

Oh brother. I don't have a gift of scratching people's backs. What do you mean? You don't have a gift of people's backs? It's the easiest thing in the world to do. He's not even asking you to cook a meal or something.

Just scratch my back. And even if some number of your nails are missing you can still start with three nails, you know. The Gift of encouraging others one of the most important Functions in the body of Christ and every one of us can have it in the past.

We have been experts at criticizing others, right? Experts at finding fault experts is finding little specks. We go down with our magnifying glasses and say, ah, I saw a speck there. I saw a speck there.

Let's destroy those magnifying glasses now and Say Lord, I've spent a lifetime Criticizing finding fault with people. Can I now spend the rest of my life? Encouraging. Encouraging. I Have many times told my fellow elders.

Many of them. I'm sorry to say don't listen to me, but I've told them brothers. I think you have spent enough years Criticizing let's encourage them leave it to the prophets To do the rebuking and correcting and there are very few prophets.

They will do that part, but most of us are not prophets. And your calling is not to rebuke correct one or two prophets will do that. God gives them a calling and gives them the ability to do that with grace.

But if you try to imitate a prophet, you'll be a false prophet. I Believe the great need is for many brothers to encourage encouraging challenge. Say you can do it. Lord rejoices over you with shouts of joy and singing.

Did you fail for the thousandth time? Never mind, brother. Try again, you will make it maybe after 10 ,000 tries. You'll do it. I Love the story I heard about this great inventor who lived over a hundred years ago called Thomas Edison.

He was an American inventor. He was not a very bright boy in school. They checked him out of school because he wasn't very clever. Invented hundreds of inventions. One of them is the light bulb and He experimented with various things to find what material will keep burning for hours and hours and hours and hours.

He was trying different materials. They all died out in a few minutes. Finally. He found a thing called tungsten and He found it burns after about Thousand experiments. He got the right thing and somebody told him hey listen.

You found it after 1 ,000 experiments. What if you had chosen tungsten the very first time. Then he said I would not have discovered truths about the other 999 wrong ways of doing it. What a good way to do it.

I Tell you I spent 16 years wandering around in Babylon. And I got a guided tour through the every nook and cranny of Babylon. I know it thoroughly. Was it a waste of time? No, I got a thorough education in Babylon and It has helped me to see that there's nothing good there.

So today when somebody tells me ah brother, there's something good there. I'm not deceived other people can go and see. I've seen it all. I Know that there's only one way to build the church. Listen to Isaiah 66 Verse 1.

This is the Lord's Word to you. Heaven is my throne. The whole earth is only a place where I put my feet. Where is the house the church? That you're gonna build for me. Where is this church that you think you're gonna build a Place that I can rest.

You know what the church is to be a place where God can rest. God can rest means he's very happy. He feels at home there. Where can you build a church where God Almighty can come and say? I'm happy here.

My hand has made all these things. But let me paraphrase. I will use this type of person to build my house. First qualification humble and contrite of spirit not Bible school. Not Bible school not college educated humble and contrite of spirit.

Anybody you want to build the church God can use you number one qualification. Humble and contrite of spirit broken, you know what contrite of spirit means. I I think the best illustration is when we break bread.

You know many times I think of this when we break bread. And I take a piece of that bread. And it's not like rock. As soon as I touch it It comes off. You know particularly the bread we like we buy we sometimes use a bun or bread.

Just touch it and it comes off that little bit and when I've done that I said Lord. That's how I want to be. That's how I want to be as soon as you touch me I'm broken. Are you like that? But as soon as God touches you.

That's what brokenness means. Broken contrite spirit. God doesn't have to struggle like Breaking some tough old piece of meat. Cut it cut it cut it with a knife. It doesn't cut. He doesn't want people like that broken humble.

Number one qualification you want to build God's house number two. Who trembles at my word? Who reads particularly something in the New Testament? We want to build a new covenant church and they read in the Acts of the Apostles how they did it.

And he trembles at it. Oh God, I Better do it that way.

Not the way all these Modern churches try to do it. That's the reason why there's so much confusion. Let me tell you an Old Testament story. I don't have time to go to all those passages. There was a time in the history of Israel you read in one Samuel chapter 4 onwards When Israel was thoroughly defeated even though they praised God with such a loud voice that the earth began to shake.