Church Service with Pastor Dennis Toyne
$1.00
Pastor Dennis Toyne unveils the true purpose of the church through the life of David, calling believers to build a house where God’s presence transforms their community.
Description
Purpose of Church Overview
In this powerful church service message, Pastor Dennis Toyne delivers a compelling exhortation on the true purpose of the local church, drawing from 2 Samuel chapter 7 and the life of King David. Pastor Toyne opens by reflecting on years of visiting churches across the country and observing a troubling absence of genuine welcome, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the freedom of the Word of God. He then turns to David’s burning desire to build a dwelling place for God in Jerusalem, using it as a type and shadow of what the New Testament church is called to be today. Through references to 1 Chronicles 15, 16, and 25, Pastor Toyne paints a vivid picture of David’s tabernacle, where 288 singers and musicians and eventually four thousand worshipers surrounded the Ark of the Covenant in continuous praise. He connects this Old Testament pattern to the modern local church, emphasizing that every congregation has a spiritual footprint of authority in its community. The message closes with a passionate call for believers to share their testimonies, welcome strangers, pray for the sick, and allow the presence of God to transform their neighborhoods from the inside out.
Purpose of Church Outline
- 00:00 – Introduction and Warm Greetings: Pastor Dennis Toyne and his wife Sandy are introduced. Sandy humorously reflects on 51 years of marriage and 43 years of ministry together, setting a joyful and relational tone for the service.
- 04:30 – Observations From Visiting Churches: Pastor Toyne shares how traveling in semi-retirement exposed him to large churches where visitors were never greeted, the presence of God was absent, and the Word was being compromised or apologized for.
- 10:00 – The Word of God Is Non-Negotiable: A passionate declaration that the Word of God cannot be changed or watered down. The church must have the presence of God, the freedom of the Holy Spirit, and an unapologetic commitment to Scripture.
- 14:00 – David’s Desire to Build a House for God: Drawing from 2 Samuel 7:1-3, Pastor Toyne examines David’s heart to give God a worthy dwelling place and to create a position where people could encounter God personally in Jerusalem.
- 20:00 – The Tabernacle of David and Continuous Worship: Using 1 Chronicles 15, 16, and 25, Pastor Toyne describes how David appointed 288 singers and musicians organized into 24 rotating worship teams, eventually growing to four thousand worshipers surrounding the Ark day and night.
- 27:00 – The Church as a Spiritual Footprint of Authority: The local church occupies a small physical footprint but broadcasts the glory of God far beyond its walls, like a radio tower. When believers pray, worship, and share their testimonies, the presence of God extends throughout the entire region.
- 33:00 – Sharing Your Testimony as Doing Church Outside: Referencing the Day of Pentecost and Acts 17:6, Pastor Toyne urges believers to share how Jesus changed their lives. He recounts how men sharing testimonies one-on-one built deep brotherhood and renewed personal gratitude for salvation.
- 38:00 – The Church as a Place of Healing and Welcome: Citing James 5:14, Pastor Toyne reminds the congregation that the church is a place where the sick are prayed over, strangers are welcomed, and the Holy Spirit moves with all His gifts and fruit.
- 40:30 – Closing Prayer and Corporate Commissioning: Pastor Toyne leads the congregation in prayer for their pastors, worship team, children and youth departments, and every member, asking God to anoint their hands, mouths, and eyes to become instruments of healing and love in the community.
Scripture References
2 Samuel 7:1-3, 1 Chronicles 15, 1 Chronicles 16, 1 Chronicles 25, Psalm 145:5, Psalm 145:1-7, Psalm 26:6, 1 Corinthians 3:16, James 5:14, Acts 17:6
Key Takeaways
- The local church must be marked by the genuine presence of God, the freedom of the Holy Spirit, and an unapologetic proclamation of the Word of God.
- Just as David established continuous worship around the Ark of the Covenant, every church is called to create an atmosphere where God’s glory can dwell through praise and prayer.
- Every congregation has a spiritual footprint of authority in its city, and when believers worship and intercede together, that influence extends far beyond the church walls.
- Sharing your personal testimony of how Jesus changed your life is one of the most powerful forms of outreach and is the very pattern that birthed the early church on the Day of Pentecost.
- The church is a place of healing where the elders are called to pray over the sick with anointing oil, believing that the prayer of faith will save and restore them according to James 5:14.
- You yourself are the temple of the Holy Spirit, meaning you carry the presence of God everywhere you go and are therefore always doing church even outside the building.
- Welcoming strangers and making every person feel seen and loved in the house of God is not optional hospitality but a fundamental expression of the kingdom of God on earth.
Purpose of Church Notes
David’s Revelation Changes Everything
Pastor Toyne anchors the entire message in 2 Samuel 7, where King David looks at his own cedar palace and feels deeply troubled that the Ark of God still dwells behind curtains in a tent. This is not merely architectural concern but a spiritual one. David recognizes that God deserves a permanent, glorious dwelling place. What makes this revelation so significant is that it was new. No one before David had organized continuous worship around the presence of God in this way. David received a glimpse of how worship looks in heaven and was determined to replicate it on earth, giving us a template for what vibrant, Spirit-filled church should look like today.
Four Thousand Worshipers Around One Tent
The picture Pastor Toyne paints of David’s tabernacle is staggering. According to 1 Chronicles 25, David appointed 288 trained singers and musicians organized into 24 worship teams of 12, each led by a family elder. Over time that number grew to four thousand worshipers, nearly half the population of the surrounding area. These teams rotated around the clock so that praise never ceased before the Ark of the Covenant. This was worship as government, as atmosphere, and as spiritual warfare. The nations could see and hear that something extraordinary was happening in Jerusalem, and many were drawn to investigate the God of Israel as a result.
Your Church Has a Spiritual Broadcast Range
One of the most memorable illustrations in this message is the comparison of a local church to a radio tower. The physical building may occupy only a small plot of land, but when the congregation inside is praying, worshiping, sharing testimonies, and loving one another, the spiritual signal broadcasts far beyond the property line. Pastor Toyne points to New Testament Church in Merrill, Wisconsin, noting that what began with opposition, hate mail, and rocks through windows has grown into a congregation honored by the city itself. That transformation is the direct result of a church faithfully occupying its spiritual footprint decade after decade.
Pentecost and the Power of Personal Testimony
Pastor Toyne draws a direct line between the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 and the simple act of sharing your story. When the 120 believers spilled into the streets of Jerusalem speaking in languages they had never learned, they were not delivering sermons but testifying to what God had done. The result was that thousands were added to the church. The same principle applies today. When a believer sits beside a hurting neighbor and says, I remember how lost I was and then I remember the moment Jesus changed everything, that testimony carries the same transformative power it did in the first century.
The Holy Spirit Arrives With Everything He Is
Pastor Toyne offers a warm and theologically rich description of what happens when the presence of God enters a gathering. The Holy Spirit does not arrive alone or empty-handed. He brings the gifts of the Spirit including words of knowledge, wisdom, prophecy, tongues, interpretation, miracles, and healing. He also brings the full basket of the fruit of the Spirit, meaning love, joy, peace, patience, and all the rest. This is why creating an atmosphere of genuine worship and prayer is so urgent. When the presence of God is welcomed, everything He is flows into the room and into the lives of everyone present, including the most broken and desperate visitor.
Turning Your Community Right Side Up
Pastor Toyne closes with a reference to Acts 17:6, where the enemies of Paul accuse his team of turning the world upside down. Rather than viewing this as an insult, Pastor Toyne reframes it as a calling. New Testament Church in Merrill is called to turn its community right side up for Jesus. This happens through consistent intercession, bold testimony, genuine welcome, anointed preaching, and the healing ministry of the church. He urges every believer to see themselves as a lively stone connected to the Cornerstone, each one playing an indispensable role in a body that is actively transforming the region around it for the glory of God.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of the local church according to the Bible?
The local church exists to be a dwelling place for the presence of God where people can encounter Him, be healed, hear the uncompromised Word, and be sent out as witnesses. Pastor Toyne draws from 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Corinthians 3:16 to show that the church is both a physical gathering point and a living temple of the Holy Spirit. Its purpose is to represent God’s government and glory in a specific community.
What was the Tabernacle of David and why does it matter for the church today?
David’s tabernacle was a tent he established in Jerusalem to house the Ark of the Covenant, surrounded by 288 singers and musicians organized into 24 rotating worship teams, eventually totaling four thousand worshipers. Unlike the Tabernacle of Moses, it featured open, continuous praise before the presence of God. For the church today it serves as a pattern showing that sustained worship and prayer create an atmosphere where God’s glory dwells and the surrounding community is impacted.
What does 1 Corinthians 3:16 mean when it says your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?
First Corinthians 3:16 declares that every believer is individually a temple in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. This means that Christians carry the presence of God wherever they go, making them living outposts of the church outside the building. Pastor Toyne uses this truth to call believers to share their testimonies and pray for people in their everyday lives, understanding that they themselves are the church in their neighborhoods.
Why is sharing your testimony so important for evangelism?
Sharing your personal testimony of how Jesus saved and transformed you is one of the most effective forms of evangelism because it is both relational and undeniable. In Acts 2, the 120 believers testified in the streets of Jerusalem and thousands were added to the church. Pastor Toyne also recounts how prompting men to share one-on-one how they came to Jesus built deep friendships and renewed their own gratitude for salvation, creating a ripple effect of witness.
How should the church respond to sick people according to James 5:14?
James 5:14 instructs that anyone who is sick should call for the elders of the church, who should pray over that person and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. The passage promises that the prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise them up. Pastor Toyne emphasizes that the church is meant to be a place of healing where believers actively lay hands on one another and believe God for restoration.
What does it mean for a church to have a spiritual footprint in its community?
A spiritual footprint refers to the sphere of influence that a church exerts in its surrounding area through prayer, worship, testimony, and acts of love. Just as a radio tower broadcasts a signal far beyond its physical base, a praying and worshiping congregation extends the presence and government of God throughout its city and region. Pastor Toyne points to New Testament Church in Merrill as an example of a congregation that has transformed its community over decades through faithful spiritual occupation.
What gifts does the Holy Spirit bring when His presence enters a church service?
Pastor Toyne describes the Holy Spirit as arriving with both His gifts and His fruit. The gifts include the word of knowledge, word of wisdom, tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, faith, and miracles as listed in 1 Corinthians 12. The fruit includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control from Galatians 5. When the church creates an atmosphere of genuine worship and prayer, the Holy Spirit moves freely and distributes these blessings among those present.
How did King David prepare for building the temple of God?
According to 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 15, 16, and 25, David first established a tabernacle in Jerusalem to house the Ark of the Covenant and appointed hundreds of singers and musicians to worship before it continuously. Though God told David he would not build the permanent temple himself because of the wars he had fought, David gathered all the materials, designed many of the musical instruments, and organized the worship ministry so that his son Solomon could complete the construction. His heart of devotion deeply moved God even before one stone was laid.
