The Triumphant Church E-Book

Tony Suarez

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 206

Beschreibung

The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. Some Christians are intensely critical and even fearful of what the twenty-first-century church is becoming—citing its lack of holiness, compassion, biblical literacy, relevance to the world, and more. But when has the church not faced tribulation? In The Triumphant Church, Tony Suárez invites you to journey with him as he examines the birth and growth of Jesus' glorious church—full of flaws and imperfect people, yet beautifully and wonderfully made. Using the stories from Acts, Tony encourages you to: - invest in the church instead of leaving it. - prioritize unity amidst threats of division. - trust God to fulfill his promises when facing doubt and fear. - expect the best from God when you hear the worst from the world. - rise up and make disciples.We are trusted by God to carry out His mission of sharing the gospel to all nations. The noise in the news that says the church is in decline is simply not true. The body of Christ continues to grow and show that what God promises, He fulfills.  

Leseprobe

In these tumultuous times, with increasing geopolitical turmoil, political, financial, and social issues, as well as challenging domestic situations, Tony Suárez assures us all is well. The Triumphant Church reflects on the history of Christianity and reveals how the church thrived in the midst of persecution and tribulation. Tony’s dynamic and anointed way with words—in the pulpit and on the printed page—depicts an extraordinary future for believers. This book is a page-turner, and offers immense optimism as it illustrates our best days have not yet been experienced.

—MORTON BUSTARD, author and minister

Pastor Tony Suárez represents a remnant of men and women in his generation who have determined that they are not going to be silenced, stopped, or even slowed down in pursuit of God’s presence and the advancement of kingdom purpose. I admire him for a multitude of reasons, among them his character, obedience, and faith after suffering incalculable loss. Tony remains steadfast in the prophetic proclamation of the unsearchable riches of Christ. Unlike so many, who fear persecution and seek safety from opposition, he stands his ground while moving relentlessly forward to reclaim enemy held territory. Pastor Suárez will inspire you to join him as together we experience the victory that will always come to those who trust God regardless of the pain of their present circumstance. The Triumphant Church will cause you to gain a new perspective on 2 Corinthians 2:14: “Now thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ.” It will also remind you there is still a God who creates, a King who redeems, a cross that bleeds, a Spirit who fills, and a prayer that is heard and answered. And there is still a triumphant, victorious church of Jesus Christ against which the gates of hell shall not prevail.

—DR. ROD PARSLEY, pastor and founder,World Harvest Church, Columbus, Ohio

Tony Suárez is a carrier of the anointing. His revelation of the triumphant church will redirect your spirit back to your first love, and his words will redirect you to carry the marching orders of God as a triumphant army. This book will bless you!

—PASTOR MYLES RUTHERFORD,Worship with Wonders Church

The Triumphant Church will help you to be so filled with the Holy Spirit that it’s impossible for those around you not to know it.

—JENTEZEN FRANKLIN, senior pastor, Free Chapel,New York Times best-selling author

BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC

Savage, Minnesota, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

The Triumphant Church: What Happens When Ordinary People AreEmpowered by an Extraordinary God

Copyright © 2018 Tony Suárez

978-1-4245-5743-1 (softcover)

978-1-4245-5744-8 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Unless indicated otherwise, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188, USA. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), classic edition, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org. Scripture quotations marked HCSB® are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. HCSB® is a federally registered trademark of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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Cover design by Chris Garborg at garborgdesign.com

Typesetting by Kjell Garborg at garborgdesign.com

Printed in the United States of America

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Dedicated to the memory of my natural and spiritual father, Rito Antonio Suárez, who taught my brother and me to never “come down off the wall,” to never allow distractions to stop us from building the kingdom of God on the earth (Nehemiah 6:3), and if you’re going to do something for the Lord, make sure it costs you something (1 Chronicles 21:24).

Contents

Foreword by Dr. Samuel Rodriguez

1

The Destiny before Us

2

A Book-of-Acts Church

3

Rushing Ahead

4

Conflict of Every Kind

5

“Read It Again”

6

God Fulfilling His Word

7

Built upon the Word

8

Hear His Voice

9

Our Calling

10

Many Members, One Body

11

Healings and Miracles

12

Prayer: The Tool of Faith

13

The Gifts of the Spirit

14

The Operation of the Gifts

15

Manifestations

16

Use Me, Lord!

17

The Cause of the Gospel

18

Acts 29

Notes

About the Author

Foreword

Some argue that we are living in the darkest hour of humankind—darkened by sin, immorality, moral relativism, spiritual apathy, cultural decadence, infanticide, racism, pornography, poverty, false prophets, watered down preaching, hypocrisy, unbridled consumerism, voyeurism, materialism, secular tyranny, religious fundamentalism, discord, division, strife, hatred, jealousy, and unbelief. Yet, in the midst of darkness there stems a prophetic truth—a revealed truth, an everlasting truth—uttered by our Savior: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14).

The lies of the enemies must be countered by the truth that we find in Christ. Remember, for every Pharaoh there has been a Moses. For every Goliath, there must be a David. For every Nebuchadnezzar, there must be a Daniel. For every Jezebel, there must be an Elijah. For every Herod, there must be a Jesus. And for every devil that rises up against us? There is a mightier God that rises up for us!

It is time for the church to rise up! Within our evangelical belief system, we have spent a great deal of time praying and waiting for Jesus to come down and rescue his bride. But I firmly believe that while we are waiting for Jesus to come down, he’s waiting on us to rise up, as the triumphant church he ordained us to be.

We are not just another institution in society, nor are we another religious faith narrative competing in the marketplace of ideas.

We are not a piece of feel-good machinery for the spiritually impaired, nor are we an antiquated conduit for a set of irrelevant values no longer applicable in the world of Facebook, iPads, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

We must respond with clarity, conviction, and courage regarding who we are:

•We are the light of the world and a city on a hill (Matthew 5:14).

•We are people of the word (1 Kings 8:56).

•We are salt and light (Matthew 5:13–16).

•We are prophetic and not pathetic.

•We are disciples, witnesses, and Christ-followers (Matthew 28:16–20).

•We are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Ephesians 4:11).

•We are children of the cross (Romans 8:17), fruit of the empty tomb (John 12:24), and product of the upper room (Acts 2).

•We are the redeemed of the Lord (Psalm 107:2).

•We are the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3).

•We are forgiven, free, and favored (Luke 23:24).

•We are called and chosen (1 Peter 2:9).

•We are warriors and worshipers (Psalm 144:1).

•We are world changers and history-makers (Mark 16:15).

•We are not Google, Microsoft, or Ford; we are far better. We are, after all, the church of Jesus Christ, and the gates of hell shall not, cannot, and will not prevail against us! Hallelujah! (Matthew 16:18)

To that regard, my spiritual son and younger brother, Tony Suárez, otherwise known as Pastor Samuel Rodriguez’s “Elisha,” carries an anointing to unleash a multi-generational commitment to this triumphant church. Tony’s personal narrative is one of perseverance, resilience, and the supernatural power of God. His voice is prophetic, his ministry transformative, and his calling transformational.

So I want to make this clear: To the enemies of truth, grace, hope, and love; to those who want the oracles of righteousness and justice to disappear; to those who would like the church to be locked in a perpetual echo chamber of affirmation on Sunday mornings; to those who would like us to stop saying that we are created in the image of God; to those who would like us to stop declaring that every life is sacred in the womb and out of the womb; to those who would like us to stop preaching that there’s only one way to be saved, and that way is Jesus; and to those who would like us to stop teaching God’s Word: I have news for you. Get ready to be disappointed! For we are about to raise our volume like never before. For we are a TRIUMPHANT CHURCH!

Dr. Samuel Rodriguez

President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Lead Pastor of New Season, Sacramento, CA

1

The Destiny before Us

Like most church-going kids who grew up in the baby boomer generation and Generation X, I spent most Sunday nights under a church pew. Those nights consisted of racing Hot Wheels cars, coloring, and eventually falling asleep—all while melodic hymns of praise and fiery preaching filled the sanctuary where we were gathered. As engaged as I was with life as I knew it under the pew, the sounds of singing and preaching are my most vivid memories of growing up in a Pentecostal church. Though they should have just been background noise to a young child, they captivated my attention.

One specific service has always stood out in my mind. I couldn’t have been older than six years old. It was our church’s annual Watchnight service, and I was determined to stay awake long enough to witness the custom of foot washing and watch as our church family celebrated communion. As with most evangelicals, especially within the charismatic and Pentecostal circles, Watchnight was always a good service. We’d celebrate all the Lord had done for us in the previous year and worship in anticipation for what he was going to do in the upcoming year. It was always one of our favorite celebrations, and a celebration it was!

I fought sleep and did everything I could to stay awake. I eventually succumbed to sleep, but not before the voice of the speaker for that evening, Pastor Rick Wyser, rang in my ears and stayed in my heart. His Scripture for the evening came from Matthew 16:18, and his voice thundered with passion, “The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church!” He said this phrase over and over and over again, “The gates of hell shall not—they cannot, and they will not—prevail against the church!” I fell asleep to those words.

More than three decades have passed since I heard those words for the first time, yet they still ring in my spirit. When I read or hear that passage, my mind goes back to that night service in Addison, Illinois, where as a child I first heard that prophetic and victorious proclamation: The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church.

I’ve found those words to be precisely true. The church, of which Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone and the foundation, the door and the path, the head and groom, has stood the test of time. Hell has tried to rise against it, and it surely has gone through its vexing and trying times, yet the church still stands as a testament to the everlasting truth that what God promises, God fulfills.

Modern-Day Church

When I was growing up during the eighties, the church placed a tremendous emphasis on teaching and preaching the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The emphasis went beyond teaching and preaching; it was even in our songs and featured on television programs and movies. I think anyone who grew up between the seventies and the early nineties remembers the emphasis I’m talking about. We preached about the Second Coming, we sang about the Second Coming, and we were expectant for the Second Coming. We believed that “soon and very soon,” at any moment, the trumpet was going to sound, and we would meet those who had already passed away and be caught up to heaven. We were going to see the King!

Movies like Thief in the Night were made and literally scared people into salvation. I say this jokingly of course, but if you couldn’t walk in salvation through the joy of the Lord, we were going to make sure you were saved by the fear of the Lord. It’s true we should always be ready for the coming of the Lord, but there was just an extra emphasis about being ready and an understanding that you didn’t want to be left behind. If you weren’t living for the Lord the way you should, there was that small voice in your mind that would remind you, Jesus is coming! We were living in perpetual expectation that Jesus Christ was going to come back for his church at any given moment.

We were hyper-focused on evangelism lest anyone be left behind. We were intently focused on making disciples and winning the lost. That focus is still at the core of our church, but over the last decade or so a considerable amount of introspection has occurred within the body of Christ as to who we are. While reflection is good, it has also caused us to become very critical of ourselves. I think we saw—or at least we thought we saw, wrinkles and blemishes that maybe weren’t or aren’t as bad as we initially perceived them to be. But when you stare at anything long enough, it seems to grow before your eyes. These perceived blemishes led many leaders in the church to question the strength and health of the church in our day. Many openly spoke against it and cried out over the evil and lethargy that they were convinced were widespread in the church.

Even today some are fearful of the church; they’re unsure and uncomfortable about what’s going to happen in the twenty-first century. While the baton has been passed, it seems to have been more reluctantly handed over than passed. Some have been anxious to let go because of their concern over what the church may become.

I understand those concerns. There are surely things to be concerned about, yet I also ask you, when has an older generation not had concerns about their succeeding generation? There is a perpetual cry within the church body and the secular society for the “old days.” We become nostalgic for what we had or how things were. While nostalgia in itself isn’t a bad thing, getting caught up over what was surely is a bad thing. God’s Word and truth is everlasting and unchanging, but his methods and plans for carrying out his message have changed with every generation.

In these last several years it seemed like it became very popular to preach messages that did nothing more than criticize the church. Many times, I would attend a conference or a special service, and I’d hear sermons begin with the phrase, “The problem with the church is …” I heard this phrase often as the church became very inward-focused; all we could see or focus on were problems, faults, and shortcomings. While we brought most of these issues on ourselves, and we in no way condone our mistakes, the burning question that was in my mind at those times—and the question that must be asked today—was and is: When has the church not had problems?

What generation hasn’t had their issues? The first-century church was ravaged with issues, which you’ll read about later. As the centuries wore on, the church endured struggles within itself, fights, wars, persecution, and such. It seems that a portion of the church was involved in European conflicts, politics, and wars throughout much of the Medieval and Renaissance periods of history. As the church grew beyond Jerusalem and into the uttermost parts of the earth (as Jesus had said it would), growth brought conflict and even division. One church that began on the day of Pentecost would begin a pattern of splintering off and lead us to thousands of different denominations, networks, and affiliations—both within Catholicism and Protestantism.

Speaking specifically of the United States, if the 1930s to 1950s were the golden era of American Christianity, as many say it was, how do we reconcile that with our embarrassing history of racism and segregation during the same time period? We cherish and honor the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Topeka, Kansas, in 1901, yet we are equally ashamed that the future leader of the Azusa Street revival, William Seymour, was forced to learn from outside the classroom because of the color of his skin. The church has always had serious issues to be concerned about, yet the gates of hell haven’t prevailed.

Cause for Concern?

Respected and credible ministries from the last decade have brought too many warnings for you and me to simply write these concerns off as unfounded criticism. I’m sure we have grieved the heart of God with the overemphasis on prosperity, the disregard for spiritual accountability, the departure from holiness. We asked God to do a supernatural work in us, to make us debt-free, to help us build bigger buildings, and more. And then after he did the work, some churches relegated the Holy Spirit and his manifestations to a back room or corner.

In an attempt to dissociate ourselves from scandals and some of the craziness that we found within our spiritual family, some went to the other extreme and no longer bared a resemblance to a Spirit-empowered or a Spirit-led church. Some within our ranks allowed themselves to go beyond the questioning of methods, and they questioned—or even changed—the message they once preached regarding the Holy Spirit.

A call to repentance, a warning, and a correction are in order. Rather than correct, however, at most we just criticized and complained. It became a fad to knock the church, to prophesy our demise, and to give the appearance that we were waving the proverbial white flag. While the concern bears merit, it must be weighed against Scripture. If we believe God’s Word, the increase of his government shall have no end (Isaiah 9:7), and his church will stand!

The Name of Jesus

I remember hearing Gloria Gaither recite the following words regarding our Savior. She said:

Jesus—the mere mention of his name can calm the storm, heal the broken, and raise the dead. At the name of Jesus, I’ve seen sin-hardened men melted, derelicts transformed, and the light of hope put in the eyes of a hopeless child. At the name of Jesus, hatred and bitterness turn to love and forgiveness, and arguments cease. I’ve heard a mother softly breathe His name at the bedside of a child delirious from fever, and watched as that little body grew quiet, and that fevered brow, cool. I’ve sat at the bedside of a dying saint. Her body wracked with pain, who in those final, fleeting seconds summoned her last ounce of ebbing strength, just to whisper earth’s sweetest name … Jesus. Emperors have tried to destroy it. Philosophies have tried to stamp it out. Tyrants have tried to wash it from the face of the earth with the very blood of those who claimed it. Yet it still stands. And there shall be that final day when every voice that has ever uttered a sound, every voice of Adam’s race shall rise in one mighty chorus to proclaim the name Jesus. For in that day, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is truly Lord. So you see it’s not mere chance that caused an angel one night long ago to say to a virgin maiden, “His name shall be called Jesus, because he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).1

It’s those same words that are used to describe the name of Jesus by Gloria Gaither that can also be used to describe the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Countless attempts have been made to de-legitimize our influence, kill our progress, and stamp out our identity, yet the gates of hell have not prevailed. We march forward, bringing the kingdom of heaven to more of the earth and accelerating the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ by doing so.

I invite you to journey with me over the following chapters as we look at this glorious, triumphant church that, while full of flaws and imperfect people, is beautifully and wonderfully made as the only vehicle that will bring humankind to salvation. We’re a mess, and we’ll admit it. We’re flawed, and we know it. But we’re still here, we’re still triumphant, and we still have a destiny before us because it was said so long ago: The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church.

2

A Book-of-Acts Church

The message of our triumphant church was first born inside of me when the Lord challenged me to take a step of faith as a young pastor. God had basically taken me out of my comfort zone and said, “Now, it’s time to go on your own and trust in me alone.” I was too dependent on people and systems, and the Lord was about to teach me that he alone was my source, my counselor, my provider, and more than that, he was the Head of his body.

Through faith, I took the steps the Lord was calling me to take, and I launched out on my own and began pastoring a very small church in Virginia. Our congregation had begun with just a family of five, but it had grown to a few hundred people over the first two or three years. We had rapid growth. We had the signs of favor. By the time we were a four-year-old congregation, we were able to purchase an amazing property on our own—twenty-eight thousand square feet, a three hundred-seat sanctuary, and an eighteen-classroom school building that we later turned into a community center.

When I heard the property was available for purchase, I asked my assistant pastor to accompany me there so that we could pray. The night I went to pray over the building and ask the Lord for his will and favor, I heard the Lord speak. He asked me a question. He said, “Why do you ask for what is already yours?” My faith was challenged. Though we were a young congregation with very limited resources and no financial history to tell of, God said the building was ours.

From there, everything within the church moved quickly. Sacrificial giving and finances increased. We were successful in purchasing the property and began renovating according to the needs of our congregation. Then we accrued a staff and involved ourselves in the community. We knew that when the gospel is applied to every area of your life, every area of your life will change. We sought to be holistic in our teaching and preaching. We celebrated the greatest miracle of all: salvation, but we also wanted to see people heal and be whole, prosperous, joyful, and leading victorious lives.

We opened a community center that allowed us to engage our community through a variety of means: from teaching English classes and hosting citizenship seminars to offering crisis counseling and teaching music lessons. We empowered members of the church to launch out on their own and begin their own businesses.