Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Welcome to today’s installment of Power Walk. Thanks for joining us today. This week, Reverend Paul Cannings is teaching volume two of the series, Why Church. Through this series, his one goal is to highlight the importance of the church.

Through the passage in Matthew 16, verses 17 and 18, Pastor Cannings clearly breaks down for us several aspects about what Christ meant for the church to be and his role in it. Let’s listen now as Dr. Cannings brings us the message titled, Christ, the Head of the Church.

Dr. Paul Cannings: He says, "I will call you out to hear." That's what the word "church" means. When people are saying, "I'm just sitting at the house, listening to somebody," the Bible is saying that's not church. Church is a collection of believers that are now citizens of the kingdom of God, and they are coming out to hear what his preacher, his proclaimer, has to say.

What is the background to that? That's why Christ never goes and says, "Let me define church for you in the terms of defining the word and what the word means." No, he just said it to the disciples in Matthew chapter 16, verse 18. We'll continue this whole week answering this question: Why church?

To start with, what was the big deal about it? In Matthew chapter 16, verse 18, he says, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church." It's a very personal thing with God. It's a personal pronoun. He's integrated in the entire universal system; integrated himself to this one organism: the church. It's the collection of families, and an individual family. Christ and the church; the collection of families, the church.

So he's committed to this institution that he’s called aside, but he doesn't go and say, "Here's the meaning of the word church. I'm going to define it for you." He's going to define the nature of it, but not the meaning of the word. Why doesn't he do that? Because in their day, they didn't have Instagram and television.

An emperor couldn't get on television and announce what he plans to do to his nation that is scattered everywhere because they would go out and take on these small little nations to get taxation and minerals and all this stuff to be able to build Rome. They went all over the place doing this. Like England would go all around the world to get bauxite and rice and sugar and all this stuff because it’s basically like an island out there. It's taking all this stuff from all around the world, and therefore they ruled the world.

That's the same kind of thing, but they don't have Instagram and television and Facebook and all this other stuff. So they would send out proclaimers. These proclaimers would go into these particular places—these cities, etc.—and the people who are like Paul, "I'm a Roman." When they sent the proclaimers out, they were required to come hear what the proclaimer says. That's a sense of loyalty to that particular king, that particular emperor. That was their loyalty to that person when that proclaimer shows up.

When he shows up and he's speaking to them, if he says anything that is wrong from what the emperor told him to say, the emperor sends an envoy out and the envoy cuts that proclaimer's head off in front of everybody. So there's no question that nobody ever follows what that proclaimer says. That's why Paul would say, "I beat my body. I make it my slave, so that at the end of the race I'm not disqualified." He's using the same system that Christ is talking about.

And that's why it starts off with God speaking to Peter. He's the proclaimer of Pentecost. He speaks. When the proclaimer speaks, only the citizens—Ephesians chapter 2, verses 18 through verse 22—the citizens are called out. It's the same system. They're now listening to the proclaimer to do what the emperor says. If the proclaimer, even in the New Testament church, was to speak wrong, oh my goodness, help us, Jesus, there are so many consequences for that person in heaven.

It's incredible what that is. If a proclaimer—just to give you one of them—Hosea chapter 4, verse 6 says they don't even want the knowledge of God. We're just going to say what we want to say. "I will curse your kids." It is huge. In the New Testament, it's the same thing. "I will give you lashes, cut you into pieces." It's serious. He's not playing. "I will destroy them," 2 Peter chapter 2.

He's not playing with this false teaching stuff because he wants his people—who are listening to a lot of bad information all week—because he says, "Do not lean to your own understanding." What are people talking about all week? Their own understanding about different matters that are taking place. Satan uses logic. You see him tempting Christ. He uses what? Logic, reason.

"Come on, Christ. You're up in the pinnacle here. You don't think God wouldn't send angels down to get you?" What is he using? Logic, reason. That's why Christ is saying don't lean on it. So that's why he comes to us and he's saying you need this collection of believers listening to the proclaimer, so you can't have church at the house. You can't.

Now, if a person is sick, if a person is disabled, if a person just cannot make it out as a senior person, God is not saying die going there. But he expects us to take that time serious because Sunday is a sacred day unto him. So that's why when he comes to Peter, he says, "I"—watch the personal pronouns—"will build my church."

The word "build" here means to establish, to bring spiritual maturity, to establish strength. That's why it's the pillar of truth, 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 15. I will establish the strength upon which the church is brought into function. I'm the one who will build it from the inside out. I will make it such a structure. It’s my body.

The Holy Spirit is giving out spiritual gifts, 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 4 through 8. I am the one that would determine how people are structured within the church. I'm going to determine who's the elders, who are the deacons, who are the associate ministers. I'm going to determine that because I'm going to put my hand on who's going to be the pastor, Ephesians chapter 1, verses 11 and 12.

Who's going to be the leaders? Leaders can only be leaders because the Holy Spirit made them overseers, Acts chapter 20. I will determine that. I will determine the gift of service, so that's why I determine who the deacons will be. I will determine who has the gift of encouragement, the gift of service. I will determine who has the gift of giving. I will determine who has the gift of wisdom. Why? Because I am building the church.

In Ephesians chapter 3, verses 14 through verse 21, he's literally telling us, "I establish the Holy Spirit in the church." At the point of salvation, the Holy Spirit is poured into us, Titus chapter 3, verses 4 through 8. And the Holy Spirit is in there. I will determine how to shape the heart of the person, Ephesians chapter 3, verses 14 through verse 21 helps to nail this down. I will determine how they comprehend the breadth, the height, the length of the word of God.

So the person who is making this a viable organism is me. Nobody can change that. One of the most comforting things for me as a pastor, anyway, is to know that once we do what God says... in 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 17, it says, "I've given you the word of God and it is adequate for every good work in the church." The word of God describes it all. That's what he says.

When it comes to us living our lives each and every day, 2 Peter chapter 1, verses 3 through 4 says, "I've given you everything you need for life and godliness." There's no guesswork so you could walk in the light in a dark world. You could be salt and light. So when it comes to this process, we must live that dependent, that constantly seeking God's will, so that the building of the church is not man's will.

He would literally seek to make sure that that is totally, comprehensively brought into the church, especially when you read verses of scripture like 2 Peter chapter 1, verse 16 through verse 21. It's not by man's own interpretation that the word of God can become clear and productive. Nobody can be built up to spiritual maturity without me. It's impossible. No matter who the preacher is. No matter how wonderful the discipleship department may be. No matter how wonderful the new membership may be operating. I do it.

And that's why he says when that happens, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The gates of hell. He didn't just say the gates of Satan. He said the gates of hell. The reason why he said the gates of hell is he's talking about death. The disciples will face some horrible deaths. They were slaughtered, beheaded, hung upside down. Disciples died some horrible deaths.

When it comes to the church since God is life, I will overcome all these gates that come through. Gates can be cancer. Gates can be all these different things that Satan will use. Disease wise to cause us... gates can be drugs that he uses, alcohol that he uses, sexual promiscuousness that can bring diseases that can take people's lives. Satan uses all these different gates in order to overcome the church so that death happens.

At a time to live and a time to die, he cannot stop your time to live and your time to die because when he comes to the church that I build up, he cannot overcome who I am. Therefore the gates cannot overwhelm the church, overcome it, overpower it, because I have faced death and overcome death.

So to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That's what he's saying. He's saying that a person, once they accept Christ, they have life. They have life because God is life. Life is not breathing. Life is not money. Life is not house. Life is not going to the Bahamas. Life is not being in Hawaii. That's living. They have life and life abundantly for which I came to die for, John chapter 10, verse 10, so that they can experience it each and every day.

And they experience it each and every day because I am the way, the truth. The Holy Spirit develops in them. He builds up spirituality. He grows them to no longer live; it is Christ that lives in them. He builds them up to experience the fruit of the spirit. So now they're enjoying the fruits of the spirit, which is life and life abundantly. He can decide when we live and when we die.

Even when it comes to that time when the clock goes off, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That's why he's saying no matter what gates Satan brings, what kind of stuff he brings our way, he can't determine how we are going to die. All he could do is be at the gate. He can't come through the gate. That's why we've got to talk about tomorrow, the keys.

Because he's saying Satan has no power over death anymore because by the grace of God, the power of God—glory be to God our Father—that on the third day, Jesus got up from the grave and all power is in his hands. Satan can't bring nothing that Jesus Christ has not already overcome. And the influence of sin no longer has its mark because Jesus Christ has overcome the very thing that Satan is about: death.

Hallelujah, praise the Lord, that no matter what we are facing in this horrible time in human history, when the church is built up, when the church is established his way, death can't reign because he has overcome death. Satan is a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour, accusing God’s saints, Revelation 12:10, to destroy us. So how can we look at the very mechanism that God has provided to protect us and ask the question: Why church? I pray we will grow to trust him and not tear apart the church, not try to corrupt it to be what we want it to be. Because, folks, he is the church.

Guest (Male): Thank you, Pastor Cannings. We clearly see how committed Jesus was to the church and how he determines everything about it: its leaders, its members, the gifts given to every believer, and how the church functions. So let's take this plan and apply it to our lives for God's glory. For any of our ministry resources, please log on to powerwalkministries.org.

Dr. Paul Cannings: A few years ago, some friends of mine, pastor friends, came to me and challenged me to start Power Walk. And by faith, we stepped out. Yes, folks, God has grown it, he's developed it because of the sacrifices we are willing to make. But in the midst of it, we recognize it costs and it would be good for us to develop partners who would share in this ministry so that it reaches the potential God has for it. And we'd love for you to look at our website, www.powerwalkministries.org, to see all the things that we are seeking to do for the glory of God. Become our partner and be a part of what God is doing. I know God will bless you for your sacrifice.

Guest (Male): Be sure to also obtain Dr. Cannings' Disciples in the Making: Discipling Believers from Spiritual Infancy to Spiritual Maturity. Again, you'll find it at powerwalkministries.org. Or you can call us by phone, 281-260-7402. The number again is 281-260-7402. And now remember, as we just heard, no matter what gates the enemy may bring against us, they will not prevail as Christ gives us the power to overcome.