The Church: Who is the Church?

Teachable Woman Podcast

Reverends Michele Owes and Diana P. Cherry

Rev. Michele Owes [00:00:00] Welcome, welcome, welcome back to the Teachable Woman podcast. We are so excited to be with you again. I am Reverend Michelle Owes. I am with the one and only Reverend Mrs. Deanna P. Cherry, and together we are teachers of good things. Mrs. Cherry, please say hello to our podcast family.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Hello to our anointed, educated, obeying podcast family. And now that you know how to think correctly and you learned about church, I know that you went to church on the past Sunday, that whatever day that was for you. I know that you know the purpose of the church and I know you were blessed by having your holy body. In the house of God on

Rev. Michele Owes Amen. Well, that's one way to get up there, Missy. That is one way to get up there. Keep it coming. Keep [00:01:00] it coming. Well, we are again excited to be with you today and it blesses my heart to be able to Talk with you about the church, the value of the church, why God created the church, who needs the church.

Rev. Michele Owes And what we learned in our last podcast was that the church is the place where we receive direction for our lives. And I just want to expound on that point just a moment. Sharing direction for your life does not mean the church tells you what you need to do. It means that we are teachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and as the Word of God goes forth, it helps you to determine the direction in which you should go.

Rev. Michele Owes Because when we come to church, we receive the Word of God. We are being washed by the water of the Word. The Holy Spirit is giving us direction and leading us and guiding us as to what we should do. So I just wanted [00:02:00] to make that clear because some people say, well, you know, I don't want nobody telling me what to do.

Rev. Michele Owes And I don't want the church all up in my business. The church's business is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our business as members of the church is to be present, is to have the right mind and the right heart when we get there so that God can speak to us and we can receive the direction we need. It's also a place where we learn to solve problems.

Rev. Michele Owes Doesn't mean the church is going to fix every problem that you have, but again, it means that the word of God is still There are classes perfecting classes or ministry classes that you can take once you get involved in your local church that will help you to solve the problems of your life. Now, of course, if you need counseling, you should absolutely make an appointment with the office of the pastor or however your church handles Christian counseling.

Rev. Michele Owes Say that again, [00:03:00] Christian counseling, however they handle that. If you have situations that you need to discuss with someone, absolutely, you should make that appointment. And it's also a place where we work our ministry. Oh my, that's a good one. Working your ministry does not mean that you are called to preach.

Rev. Michele Owes It does not mean that you need a microphone. It does not mean that you need to be on display. Working your ministry means that you have a heart toward the house of God, and you recognize that there are things that need to be done. But you're also, you also have gifts, talents, and abilities that God has blessed you with.

Rev. Michele Owes And oftentimes we take those gifts and talents and abilities to the world when they are intended to be used in the house of the Lord to glorify our heavenly father and to edify the people in the body of Christ. And so, when we take as one [00:04:00] noted, NBA player said, when we take our talents to South Beach, when we take our talents to the house of the Lord and allow God to be glorified through them, we will get joy.

Rev. Michele Owes We will get joy because we will be in the right place doing the right thing. Of course, with the. And we also wanted to just take a moment and, and before we get into the fullness of our podcast today, we want to talk about the church. What is the church and who is the church oftentimes? And we say, well, I'm going to church.

Rev. Michele Owes We're thinking about the physical structure that we go to, wherever your church is held. We're, the brick and mortar is what's on our mind, because that's where we're going. But when Jesus referred to building the church, he was not referring to brick and mortar. He was referring to [00:05:00] building the church in the heart of believers.

Rev. Michele Owes So that means you and I, we are the church where we go to gather to worship and to praise. That is also considered the church, but that is the physical building. But when Jesus said up on this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. He's talking about you and me.

Rev. Michele Owes And I think that's some really good news that the gates of hell cannot prevail against us. All right, Miss Cherry, take us out.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: we got it going on. I want to address the church and the fact that it's not to tell you, get all up in your business. I want to read from Ephesians 4:11. It's the scriptural reference of what we shared last week. And it's Ephesians four, just starting with verse 11. And [00:06:00] he gave some, not all, he gave some apostles, prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. And my husband always taught that the pastor and teacher was one gift. And why did Jesus Christ, the righteous son of God, give us gifts? It is for the perfecting of the saints.

Rev. Michele Owes Yes.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We come to church to be perfected5. It is the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry. We don't come to church just to look good, just to show off, or just to fellowship; we come to church for the perfecting of the saints so that we can be perfected to work the ministry.

Rev. Michele Owes Mm

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And we come to church to edify the body of Christ. And why do we want to be perfected? And why do we want to be able to work the ministry? And [00:07:00], why do we want the body of Christ to be edified? That we will all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God unto a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Rev. Michele Owes hmm. Mm hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So we come to church wherever that physical church building is, but we come to church so that we can be perfected. And why do we want to be perfected? Verse 14 says, That we hence for no more be children

Rev. Michele Owes Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: wind of doctrine by the slight of men and the cunning craftiness. they lie in wait to deceive, in the church, we should receive the truth. It says, but speaking [00:08:00] the truth in love so that we may grow up into him all things. We want to grow up into Jesus Christ, the righteous Son of God, in all things. he is the head, even Christ. we are the body. are the whole body. And we're supposed to be fitly joined

Rev. Michele Owes hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: by that which every joint supplied. According to the effectual working, In the measure of every part, I'm a part, you're a part, making increase of the body until the edifying of itself in love. So anything that we teach you, we will show it to you in the Bible.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So you come to church so that we might be perfected. Once we are perfected, we just become a little supplying joint. My little joint [00:09:00] supply something for this ministry, your little joint supply, something for that ministry. But until we all come, the fullness of the statue of Christ, so we don't just come to church just to look good, just to sing good or just to do this, that or the other. But there is a spiritual reason that we come to church, and we are the church. We are the body of Jesus Christ. We are his living representatives in the earth realm. And if we're not acting like Jesus Christ, If we're not living like Jesus Christ, if we're not doing the things that the Lord would have us to do, body are we representing?

Rev. Michele Owes Oh, that is a really good question.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes I'd probably say our own.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes I'd probably say our own, right?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah. Right. But I wanted to share the scripture and that Ephesians 4 [00:10:00] verses 11

Rev. Michele Owes Mm hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: through 16.

Rev. Michele Owes Yes. So, it is for the perfecting of the saints. In other words, we will always, always, we will There's always some modifications God is making. He's always renewing our minds. He's always washing us with the water of the word. He's always changing our heart condition to be more like him. So it's, it's not a situation where I've gone to church and had a good message.

Rev. Michele Owes I went to the altar. I got saved. I went back to church. I learned to do this better. Now I'm perfected. That is not it. It is an ongoing, it is a lifelong situation. And the beauty of it all is that God chooses to perfect us in a way that is so private. Between you and him, you are in a general assembly, because the scripture also tells us that we should forsake not the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is.

Rev. Michele Owes And that's Hebrews 10 and 25. And what that means is [00:11:00] some of us are just not going to want to come to church. Or we're going to skip. Or we show up first and third Sunday, and then you got the second and the fourth Sunday comers. And then you got the, you've got the ones who, who decide that Mother's Day, I got to be on the pew next to Mama.

Rev. Michele Owes A Christmas, because this is Jesus Christ's birthday. I learned that at home. I need to show up. Maybe New Year's, or, but then there's Easter, you know, because he rose. I got to show up for the major holidays. But, but what Christ wants to do in our heart requires a commitment. What he must do in our minds to make us more like him requires a commitment.

Rev. Michele Owes And it's a commitment that is beyond 1st and 3rd Sunday. It's beyond 2nd and 4th Sunday. It's beyond just showing up for the women's fellowship or the major activities and the men's fellowship or just going to the mountain once a year to get my fix or, you know, just going to the retreat once a year.

Rev. Michele Owes It's beyond that. It is a [00:12:00] lifetime commitment to his word and to being in his presence. And to pray. And so the church is the gathering place, if you will. It is the place that we should be drawn by the orchestration of the Holy Spirit to the church that is for us. And when I say that, I mean that we should be in a Bible believing.

Rev. Michele Owes a Bible teaching church so that we can learn the plan that God has for our life. If someone is just standing up and talking to you and never once mentions Jesus and never once gives you a scripture and never once mentions your savior, you are not in the right place. Because a pastor's role, and Mrs.

Rev. Michele Owes Cherry and I can tell you this because we were married to two of them, not at the same time she had her son,

Rev. Michele Owes is their, their [00:13:00] job is to share the scripture with you, according to the orchestration of the Holy Spirit, what he has shared with you. with them in that private time and private study. And so as they minister the word of God, it is the Holy spirit who's able to minister to every heart and mind that's in the place.

Rev. Michele Owes And so as we mentioned last podcast, you know, somebody else may get their real answer and blessing in the first 15 minutes. Somebody else may have got it in the next 15, somebody in the latter 50, somebody else, somebody in the hallway, great. could have hugged you and shared something with you that blessed your heart and and ministered to your mind.

Rev. Michele Owes And, and so that's why we don't forsake the assembling of ourselves together. We're missing our blessings. Mrs. Cherry talked about the fact that we are the body of Christ and that's all of us who believe in Jesus Christ. But just think about your [00:14:00] physical body. If your legs decided they weren't going with you today, And, and, and prior to, to today, they worked when you were ready to go.

Rev. Michele Owes But if your legs are like, we ain't going no more or, or your arms, I know you want to move us, but not today that we're going to rest or, or just your, your ears decided we're not going to hear any more today. So the body needs every part of you. To do his part, and I mentioned to you how heartbreaking it was to me to leave my development and see all of these families.

Rev. Michele Owes at a sports arena with their children playing on Sunday mornings. Now, some of you might have thought, well, you know, they could go to church on Friday night or they could go to church on Saturday. You don't know anything. I do not know anything about any of those lives. That [00:15:00] is absolutely true. Am I judging?

Rev. Michele Owes No. My heart was, these are God's children. They are his heritage. They need to be in his house. And Sunday is the day that we worship. Sunday is the day that we rest. And I just didn't, in my natural eye gate, see any of that taking place.

Rev. Michele Owes That they won't get on a sports field.

Rev. Michele Owes The, the love, the acceptance to be taught the expectation of the God who created you, to know his 10 commandments, to know the books of the Bible, to know His son, Jesus, as the savior, and to know what the expectation is for your life so that you grow up a person who has good character, who has a level of commitment, and you are willing to walk this out with the Lord and you can face life's difficulties, knowing that you [00:16:00] have a savior and you think about.

Rev. Michele Owes The conduct of some of our Children today, and we wonder why they act out because they don't know the conduct that they were created to have.

Rev. Michele Owes We wonder why our Children can't be committed to anything. They don't know that they were that they had a committed God who was so committed to our salvation that he allowed his son to die so that we might have life.

Rev. Michele Owes So there are things that, and if we just go natural, Miss Cherry, there's no place else that a child can stand up and give their Easter speech and blow it and still get a standing ovation. Go baby! You, go ahead!

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's right.

Rev. Michele Owes Well, we learn to have the courage to stand before people and speak or sing or praise dance or usher or whatever we learn to serve the body.

Rev. Michele Owes So the church has so much more going on than [00:17:00] what people think. They think, you know, we preach and pass the offering basket and that's it. They don't have any idea what the church is really about,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And to a large degree, that is the responsibility of the church to have taught us why we go to church. If you're a Christian, I want to, I want you to listen up because do you know, the church is the place where we carry out God's will. The church the place where you and I actually have an opportunity to carry out God's will. The will of God cannot be accomplished in the natural realm without the permission of man. Do you know, because God gave us wills, Our will is the strongest force [00:18:00] in operation in the earth realm today. The will of man is the strongest force that's in operation in the earth realm. And you might say, well, what about the Holy Spirit?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: The Holy Spirit is spiritual, but the will of man is the strongest force that is in operation the earth realm. And that's why you see so much foolishness. so much compromise living the will of man has told us that things are acceptable that are not acceptable to God. you and I have a responsibility to further the plan of God in the earth realm to do the will of God in the earth realm. And it is the place, the church is the place where the will of God. Should be done, should be carried out. The will of [00:19:00] God cannot be accomplished in the earth realm, the natural realm without our permission. so it's incumbent upon us to Rio to pre rea the church and church attendance in our lives. you know, one of the easiest things in the world to do is. After we've missed church for a while, the easiest thing on earth to do is to miss church. It's so easy. Sunday you'll get up with an excuse. However, once we get ourselves back into the habit of going to church, one of the most difficult things on earth to do is to miss church.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I

Rev. Michele Owes right?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: 81 years old. And I can't imagine that Sunday after Sunday after Sunday, I [00:20:00] would just arbitrarily miss church. I remember doing COVID when I would be, know, in the home area where I live, where my local church is. I would often say to our pastor, my son, can I please just sneak in today? And there would be nobody. Nobody in church except my son, my daughter in law, a person on the camera, the staff in the back getting the stream ready. Nobody, maybe one usher or one nurse or somebody, there would be like 10 or 15 of us in a church that normally we would have 3 to 5, 000 people every Sunday. for some reason, because of that one year, I guess, one year, year and a half of COVID, we were not allowed to come into the church, now it's hard, it's going to take you to get your mind, [00:21:00] that's why we're talking about thinking correctly, you have to work on your mind, and work on your mind, and tell your mind that the place to be On Sunday morning during service time is in church service because the local church is where we carry out God's will. The local church is where we become perfected. The local church is where we're taught our spiritual gifts so that we can be equipped to go out and give what we have to others. We don't go to church to receive for ourselves. We go to church to be perfected. so that we can give to others that which we have received. church is where we are assembled together. Our definition of the local church is a body of believers who have been systematically assembled together. Listen, by the orchestration of the [00:22:00] Holy Spirit, not by the preacher, the church should be a place where we have a common vision, where we have all things common, and where we have all things that are necessary for the perfecting of the saints. So we don't come to church just to hear a good message, to see how high we can shout, and how high we can, how high we can shout, or how high, how loud we can shout, or high, or how high we can jump. The key to being a good Christian is how straight you walk once you've jumped so high and after you've shouted so loud. How, how straight is your walk once you've shouted loud and jumped high and you come back down to earth? How straight is our walk? So the church is where we have all things common. It's where we are perfected. The church is very necessary. is very needed [00:23:00] because it's in the church where we allow to carry out the will of God and it cannot be accomplished in the natural realm without you and without me. Do you really know who you are? Do I know who I am as a Christian, as a child of God? I cannot say emphatically enough how important it is for all of us to get our bodies back in church because the scripture that Reverend Owens read in Hebrews, we cannot forsake the assembling of ourselves together because we're not heathens. Christians. We're Christ like ones. And, listen, there are places where I've visited the church is a thatch roof hut. air conditioning. No flooring. If it rains too hard, the rain comes in. The church, no [00:24:00] windows, no anything. But it's a gathering place. Sometimes it's under a big tree. And the conditions are horrible.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: They're hot and bugs everywhere. But we have an opportunity to come into a comfortable building, sit in comfortable chairs or pews, and receive the Word of God. What on earth is more important receiving the Word of God? I can't think of anything.

Rev. Michele Owes I think it is a wonderful opportunity to find yourself back in the house again. of the Lord. We will look for whatever it is we want. We will shop around for whatever it is we want, but we can certainly ask God to lead us and guide us to the place that he wants us to be. If we felt like maybe we weren't receiving the word of God and we weren't growing where we were, it's [00:25:00] your responsibility to seek the God that created you for the place that he wants you to be.

Rev. Michele Owes If you just have gotten used to seeing Staying at home and watching TV and you don't want to drive and you don't want to be bothered with the traffic or getting gas or whatever it is, whatever the excuse may be. Give God the opportunity to minister to your life. Give God the opportunity to grow you up in the faith because we need you and God needs you.

Rev. Michele Owes You can see how lawless. the land has become.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm

Rev. Michele Owes You can see that men are more lovers of themselves. Than lovers of God. You can see how the birds of feathers are flocking together and they're flocking together not for the Will of the people or because of the needs of the people but because of their own will But there is a god who is rich in mercy [00:26:00] who has given us a savior Whose name is Jesus who has filled us with his holy spirit to lead guide direct us and teach us And we need to know more about him and we learn more about him in his house.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: You've just been hanging out at home. Just recognize that you can hang out at home, but don't do it on Sunday morning. Come into the house of the Lord, where the people of God are going to hug your neck and love you, and welcome you. I can't tell you how important it was for me after the death of my husband.

Rev. Michele Owes:77777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777 To and having to move to a whole nother state and location to get up on a Sunday morning and walk into the house of the Lord.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes. Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes and I didn't expect that anybody knew me in that building except the pastor and his wife. And I was had [00:27:00] all kinds of questions in my mind as I was approaching the door and God answered every one of them with the first person that I saw.

Rev. Michele Owes When I wrote my name down after they took my temperature, he recognized my name and he said, we have been waiting for you.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Aww.

Rev. Michele Owes: We knew your husband, your husband was here. He helped us to start as a, From the Heart Church. We have not forgot his teachings and we have been waiting for you. We've got you from here.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Aww.

Rev. Michele Owes: That was the first message I received, but that's the kind of love and acceptance that you get in the house of the Lord. I want you to know something about the church. A lot of people think the church is judgmental and churches are blah, blah, blah, blah. That is a stereotype. That's like saying all black people eat watermelon.

Rev. Michele Owes: It's just wrong.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: right. That's right.

Rev. Michele Owes: I happen to love watermelon, but all black people don't like watermelon.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right.

Rev. Michele Owes, I have two children who won't eat it, and my husband didn't. But anyway, I will say this: When you [00:28:00] get into the house of the Lord, from the very day you get there, you have an opportunity to create the kind of life you want in Christ.

Rev. Michele Owes Jesus. Nobody knows your background, and nobody cares. Nobody's asking if you want to become a man or woman that God can depend on. That if God is looking for someone, you can say stop here. The church is where you learn how to do that. Now, that's not an overnight fix. This is not super glue. It doesn't just stick together right away because your flesh will challenge you over the things that you learn, but if you will set your heart In alignment with the will of the Lord and allow God to do in your life what he so desires to do in your life.

Rev. Michele Owes When that word comes, it will be like manna from heaven. You will feed on it. You will live on it. When the situations of life come, you're faced with the situation of life. You remember what the message said. And the answer to the situation was in the message. There will be parts [00:29:00] that will come up and say, Oh, God's already taught me what to do.

Rev. Michele Owes: I learned that on Sunday. I learned that at a Tuesday night Bible study. I heard that last week. I know what to do now. That's how the decisions are made. Not that somebody's telling you what to do, but God is preparing you, forewarning you, and equipping you, and all of that. It is the job of the church.

Rev. Michele Owes: You can't get it at the ball field. You can't get it at the club. You can't get it at the hangout spot. You get it in God's house. Ask God where he wants you to be. Seek him for the right place. Go find out what's happening in these churches. Look for a Bible-believing Bible teaching church where you can find out God's plan for your life.

Rev. Michele Owes: We are going to end this podcast because we've shared, and we'll be back. We're not finished with the church yet because there's so much more. Ms. [00:30:00] Cherry, let's say, okay.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: before you go to church, pray and ask God to speak to your heart and to show you what he would have you know, believe, and do as a result of the time that you spent listening to his word on that particular day. And he will. Then you do it. God bless you. Love you much.

Rev. Michele Owes All right. We love you. We'll see you on our next podcast. Bye.