It’s Not Perfect (yet) – Novation Church

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3 NIV

How Can I Understand Both The Perfection And Imperfection Of The Church?

I need to understand the word church.

“I will build My church…” Jesus

Church is not a place it’s a people.

Jesus’ invitation is “Come belong and Go and be.

2. I need to remember the church is made up of imperfect people.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23 NIV

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Ephesians 4:2 NLT

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:13 NLT

3. I need to realize the gift and message of Jesus often gets poorly wrapped & presented.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 NLT

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” Luke 4:18-19 NLT

Toxic teachings lead to bad church experiences (Galatians 1:6-9)

Legalism: (Galatians 2:21)

Fundamentalism: (Galatians 5:20)

Exclusivism: (Galatians 3:28)

Hypocrisy: (Matthew 23:1-7)

Hyper-faith/Hyper spirituality (1 Timothy 4:1-5, Colossians 2:16-23, 1 Corinthians 4:6