The Evangelical Pentecostal Church of Dolno Ezerovo is a local church, part of the network of the Union of Evangelical Pentecostal Churches in Bulgaria, which preaches Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the world, and our program and constitution is the Bible itself. We love Bulgaria and the people of our country, and our goal is their salvation — we do not want a single Bulgarian citizen to go to hell together with the Devil and his angels, but for everyone to receive the gift of God: eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.
Through these studies we do not aim to recruit anyone to something or to attract followers to some cause, but to give you the truth about God, the spiritual world, and man. Many delusions have been sown in our hearts over the years, and our understanding of many things has been twisted and distorted. No one is to blame for all this except the devil, who from the beginning has been a murderer and a liar, and the people who possessed the knowledge of things but allowed themselves to be manipulated by him and to become pawns in his hand. So we have become slaves of human thinking and sin, and we have been bound and limited in many ways. There is one thing, however, that has authority over the lie, and that is the truth. There is absolute truth, and it is the Word of God. What God says is always true, because for Him it is impossible to lie. And He loves us, which is why He gave us Jesus Christ — the living Word, who says:
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)
We want this liberating truth to shine in our hearts and to make us free — from sin, death, fear, and every kind of spiritual bondage.
A Spiritual House
In the previous four studies we dwelt on the truths about God, man, faith, and the new birth. And now it naturally follows that we should turn to the question of the church. Let us compare the new birth with natural birth. If you are a tiny newborn baby and your mother leaves you to manage on your own, you will certainly die. A little baby cannot be self-sufficient. On the contrary, you need more care after you are born than before you were born. You need fellowship, food, and warmth. In a spiritual sense, you can find all of these needs met in the church. It is your spiritual home (1 Peter 2:5).
The Assembly of the Saints
And since we are going to speak about the church, let us give a definition of what the church is. Or better, let us begin with what it is not. Perhaps when you hear the word “church,” the image that arises in you is of an old, cracked, stone building full of icons, a priest, and a few old, withered grannies with lit candles in their hands. But that is precisely what the church is not. It is not a building with a particular architecture. The Greek word for church means assembly — the assembly of the called ones, those who have been called by God to be His. And the church is nothing other than the assembly of the saints (1 Corinthians 1:2). These are believers sanctified in Jesus Christ, who in every place call on the name of God. So, in the first place, the church is not a building. The church is the people — the born-again believers.
The Pillar and Foundation of the Truth
In the second place, the church is not old and weak. She appears as surely as the dawn — her strength is renewed every morning. She is beautiful as the moon — she reflects the divinity of Jesus Christ. She is pure as the sun — there is no sin in her. She is terrible as an army with banners. She is mighty as stars in procession. Scripture asks of her:
Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession? (Song of Songs 6:10)
The church attacks the Devil and his works and confronts the lie and sin. The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth:
If I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)
Filled with the Holy Spirit
In four places in the New Testament it is said that the Church is the body of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18,24). She is strong and united. And there is something characteristic of the body of Christ — that it is moved by the Holy Spirit. The church is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). That is why, on the fiftieth day after His resurrection, Jesus sent His Spirit upon the church — her members were filled with His Spirit. And just as the body separated from the spirit is dead, so too the church, the moment it stops following the Holy Spirit and drives Him out of itself, dies. Then it becomes a social society that begins to decompose like a dead corpse. If it is mummified, it may even look good on the outside, but on the inside it reeks of carrion. In Revelation 3:1 Jesus said to the angel of the church in Sardis:
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. (Revelation 3:1)
Right here perhaps someone will say, “Aren’t you overdoing it a little with your judgments? How then can I tell which church is alive, and are there living churches at all?” Jesus answers you — “Yes!” There have always been and there will always be living churches. For Jesus Christ is the Builder of the churches (Matthew 16:18). He said:
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18)
On this rock — the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord — He will build His church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. He rose from the dead, and His body is forever alive. No one can defeat it — not even the bonds of death, together with the satanic forces of wickedness.
A living church is a church in which the Word of God is preached, the presence of the Holy Spirit is felt, real miracles take place, and people are blessed. The living church prays — it spends hours in fellowship with God, in intercession and worship. In the living church there is anointed praise in which God Himself is enthroned. In it there is an atmosphere of love and warmth, mingled with heavenly joy.
As a born-again believer you are a member of the invisible, worldwide church, but it is necessary for you also to attend some local church, which is its expression. You are part of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you cannot live without having a healthy connection with the other parts of the body (1 Corinthians 1:12-27). If one part of your body decides to separate itself from it for a few minutes, it will certainly die. In exactly the same way, you too will die spiritually if you refuse to be moved by the Holy Spirit and to go to church. By the way, there are more than enough such cases, and the Devil gloats smugly over every single one of them. But you can drive him mad by doing exactly the opposite of what he tells you. Become part of a church where you can receive warmth, fellowship, encouragement, courage, and correction.
And let us care for one another, spurring one another on toward love and good deeds, not ceasing to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but exhorting one another all the more, since we see that the time of the rapture of the church is drawing near:
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)