Our Charter Is From God
Our authority as Christians comes from God, not from human leaders or traditional religious forms.
The preacher delves into the Greek word 'stoicheo', which means to walk in line with the Spirit as a continual and habitual action in the believer's life. This involves behaving properly, living in conformity with God's standards, and following in the footsteps of Christ. The sermon emphasizes the importance of keeping in step with the Holy Spirit, avoiding boastfulness, provocation, and envy among believers, and striving for unity and harmony in the church by aligning with the Spirit's guidance.
Text
While we are right to thank God in appreciation for all of the great and good men in the history of the Christian church, we actually "follow" none of them. Our charter goes farther back and is from a higher source. They were rightly looked upon as leaders, but they were all servants of God, even as you and I are. Luther sowed. Wesley watered. Finney reaped-but they were only servants of the living God. In our local assemblies, we are part of the church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ and perpetuated by the mystery of the new birth. Therefore, our assembly is that of Christian believers gathered unto a Name to worship and adore the Presence.
So, in that sense, the strain is gone.
The strain and pressure to abide by traditional religious forms all begin to pale in importance as we function in faith as the people of God who glorify His Name and honor His Presence! If all of this is true-and everything within me witnesses that it is-we may insist that God is able to do for us all that He did in the days of the apostles. There has been no revocation of our charter!
Sermon Outline
- Our Charter Is From God
- The Source of Our Charter
- The Nature of Our Charter
- The Implications of Our Charter
Key Quotes
“Our charter goes farther back and is from a higher source.” — A.W. Tozer
“If all of this is true-and everything within me witnesses that it is-we may insist that God is able to do for us all that He did in the days of the apostles.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We can trust God to do for us all that He did in the days of the apostles.
- We are free to function in faith as the people of God, rather than being bound by traditional religious forms.
- Our authority and identity as Christians come from God, not from human leaders or institutions.