I’m realizing that I am not a consistent blogger since I am usually writing in preparation for a sermon each week. The sermons to which I refer are posted each week right here: http://www.communionpres.org/service.html . The “highlights” from each sermon gets posted here: http://www.communionpres.org/readings.html .
At Communion Presbyterian, we concluded a series of messages entitled, “What’s the Reason…?” This series tackled some controversial topics of our day. (To listen to these sermons, check them out here: http://www.sermoncloud.com/Compres/ ) … Have I done enough promotion so far?
I’m posting a great portion of the sermon, “What’s the Reason for the Church?” so that readers might get my take (circa 2008) on the very reason for the existence of this entity called, “The Church.” Happy reading!
INTRO… (a spoof article about a church that decided it was having more success as a coffee shop, leading us to ask the rather pointed question: What is the reason for the church?)
Are we simply a special interest group, a political action committee, a social club, a think tank, an artist’s community, or a relic of days gone by?
Again, the only way to answer that question with any specificity is to consult the scriptures and the history of redemption contained therein.
So a little review: In the beginning, God created a place and put Adam and Eve there. With those two people came the divine institutions of Family, Church, and Government. Adam and Eve were to care for each other in the most intimate way as a family; they were to worship God in all their duties as the Church; and they were to manage the place where God put them as the Government. All of this would be intensified as their family expanded.
Properly defining each of these institutions requires an understanding of the other two. Therefore the church can be initialy defined as a family that is properly governed. This is just a starting point – so let’s continue our review.
We know that Adam and Eve sinned, and lost their communion with God and each other. As a result, all relationships are fallen, including the relationship among the BIG 3 institutions.
However even as sinners, Adam and Eve teach their children to worship God. Cain and Able bring sacrifices of thanksgiving to God. One receives God’s favor, the other does not. Here is another defining characteristic of the church: The church is a worshipping interprise – but some forms of worship are acceptable to God – others are not!
Now, all of life is supposed to be worship before God – a reflection of how we value Him and His ways; but when the church gathers as a family, properly governed; we must do so in a way that God says is pleasing to HIM! It cannot be the invention of our own imaginations or desires. We must learn this from Cain and Able: that we must worship the correct God, correctly.
Because of Cain and Able, a division takes place in the family. God made a judgment upon Cain: As a result, some of the people of the earth will be properly related to God because of how they worship Him, while the other portion of humanity, NOT properly worshipping God, will be under His judgment, because they refuse to worship and relate to God rightly.
Problem is, who really wants to worship God rightly? Especially when we all have so many new ideas about what life is supposed to be about and we have so many projects that are more important than religious observance?
It’s because of this truth that God is required to step in in order to protect Noah’s family, and all humanity in a manner of speaking, by starting all over again –because no one seeks the standards that God has set for the world unless God graciously intervenes.
God makes another gracious move in calling and preserving Abraham and His family. He establishes a unique relationship with Abraham so that through his faith and obedience, all the families of the world would be blessed by observing and following Abraham’s example.
Here we can expand our definition of the church: A family properly governed, set apart by grace to worship the correct God correctly in order to be a blessing to the world!
Abraham’s family becomes the nation of Israel. The core of Israel’s identity was their worship of the One True and Living God. God installs three offices to guarantee the proper place of worship in Israel: the prophets, priests, and kings will all coordinate the devotions of Israel so that all of life would be worship before God (isn’t this just an echo of Family, Church, & Government? Prophet, Priest, & King?)
Even though the center of Israel’s worship will take place in the ceremonies of the Tabernacle and Temple – ceremonies that acknowledge sin, communicate reconcilation and express thanksgiving to God – EVEN THOUGH this was prominent, it was not the only place of worship for Israel – worship would also be expressed in everyday life – such as how Israel farmed and raised their children and kept their oaths and in how they cared for the alien in their midst.
Problem was, Israel didn’t maintain an exclusive relationship with God. Not even the prophets, priests, and kings could keep their devotion to God’s standards, and Israel immitated the worship of other cultures and lost their unique identity, she failed in her mission, and forfieted her place of prominence in the world.
But God is faithful, and He again, will graciously accomplish His plans to bless the world through the remnant descendants of Abraham. God would once again step in to protect a family line who would rightly worship Him.
Enter Jesus; the promised seed, the predicted heir, the anticipated anointed one, the prophet, priest, and king who would Redeem Israel. Jesus, himself, properly worships God with his heart, soul, mind, and strength and loves God and neighbor truly. Jesus is the true worshipper of God! Jesus becomes the offering and sacrifice to bring reconciliation! Jesus becomes the true source of all our thanksgiving to God for who he is and what he has done. The New Israel, the Church, adopts Old Testament convictions as they worship God while finding Christ to be a fulfillment of all the ceremonies.
The point I’m trying to make is that God decides how to be worshipped. God graciously preserves a people to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Those who do worship Him correctly become a blessing to the world. This is the story of both Testaments of Scripture: It’s all about the Lord calling a worshipping community to himself, and they act as a loving family – properly governed.
Now none of this is particularly earth shattering or revolutionary, it just happens to be the foundation for the church. And since we call ourselves a church, we must determine what kind of church we must be. And we won’t ever become the church Christ has promised to build if we ignore the proper foundation.
So what is the church? A unique worshipping community that remains so, graciously, as a family – properly governed to be a blessing to the world.
When we see the New Testament church hatching out of the nest of Old Testament Israel, we find them instituting some practices that remain with us to this day because this New Church shares a common foundation with the Old Testament saints! Let’s look at their very first convictions and interactions at the very beginning:
Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. è Notice the call to repentance, promise of forgiveness, reception of the Holy Spirit. Repentance and forgiveness were a part of the Old Testament, and so was the Holy Spirit, however, the Spirit would no longer be reserved for office holders, but for all who believe.
39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” è The promise of salvation will be for everyone in the family, even children! Why? How? Because they will be baptized into a new family. What does the sacrament of baptism represent? Being set aside from the family line under judgment and identifying with the family set apart to receive salvation.
40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” è Look! Peter is saying that there is a crooked generation not rightly worshipping God and they will be judged. Leave that family and identify with Christ’s family in baptism and belief!
41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. è What is the earlies activity of the New Testament church? Devotion to the apostle’s teaching (the gospel), and to fellowship (mutual edification), breaking of bread (the sacrament of the Lord’s Table), and to prayers (for every aspect of God’s kingdom). The question is: If your church is not doing THESE THINGS as a church each time, then where are you consulting in order to organize your gatherings?
43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. è Listen, signs and wonders were an early sign of the church because the apostles were there. This means that I won’t pray for the miraculous, but it does mean if a person demands “signs and wonders” in their church, I’m going to be contextually consistent and demand that they also have a “sell all your belongings and give to all in need,” in their church!
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. è Praise the Lord, He wants his church to grown; but not as a physical family but a spiritual one.
So here in Acts 2 we have described for us the commitments of the New Testament Church; but what is the REASON for the church? Ephesians 2, starting vs. 4…
Ephesians 2:7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
2:16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
2:20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,2:21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. :22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. = speaks of worship
3:6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. = we must proclaim the gospel
3:9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, 3:10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 3:11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
è This is why we started from the beginning with Adam and Eve, God has an eternal purpose and plan for the world and beyond. To establish a true family of worshippers who love the Father through the Son, directed by His word and Spirit; so that, whatever God is going to do in the world – WAIT, whatever God is going to do in the entire universe, He is going to do it THROUGH His children – His church!!
So what is the reason for the church? To be worldly successful? ABSOLUTELY! As long as it is committed to her core identity: Proclaiming the Gospel of grace; establishing our uniqueness as a community that actually worships the true God! Demonstrating our union, of which when celebrated in the sacraments of the church communicates gospel truths applied to believers, making them distinct from the world; and being disciplined in our calling to faithfully worship God as a family, to worship God by our obedience, to worship Him by being ministers of reconciliation — especially as we serve our fellow man in righteousness. This is when we become a blessing to the world.
This means that we have some goals to accomplish our reason for being!
1 Worshipping the correct God correctly
2 Living as a family properly governed
3 Proclaiming the Gospel of grace and reconciliation
4 Graciously serving others so that we might be a blessing to them
How will we know we are accomplishing these goals?
- Finding the directions for worship in God’s word
- Acknowledging that we all play a role in the family
- Living as witnesses to the reconciling power of God
- Making sure that we reach every man, woman, and child within our circle of accountability with the opportunity to hear and respond to the Good News of Jesus.
I’ve always liked this description of the church best è The invisible kingdom of God, made visible. We become visible to the world when we worship faithfully – not just in a church service, as important as that is – but with all of our life, in every arena in which we live. The primary place that we have always made a powerful impact in revealing this kingdom is in our families, properly governed. This is why our first line of ministry and discipleship is to our families – when spiritually mature families gather for corporate worship they know how to demonstrate the priorities of reconciliation and the need and desire to minister outside the church walls to be a blessing to the world.
ginning of a phrase coined by the folks at Apologetics.com, “Challenging Believers to Think, and Thinkers to Believe.”
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Dr. Ken Priddy– Ken is a “church growth” consultant with the ARP. He’s got great credentials, and a very clear message on what churches need to do to remain healthy. He also had a great topical sermon based on this: Israel is found in the scriptures to be often alienated or dominated by a foreign culture. This hinders them from pursuing the proper worship of God. Folks like Moses and Ezra lead the Israelites out of the dominating culture so they can pursue the worship God proscribes for His people. APPLICATION = Today’s church is dominated by a “non-Christian” culture (or should we say a ”hostile Christian” culture?) What should our response to this be? Nothing revolutionary people! “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” Ezra 7:10
Rev. Joel Pelsue — Joel oversees Arts & Entertainment Ministries in LA. His message raised issues about Daniel in Babylon. Joel established a premise proposed by Jonathan Edwards: The church properly functions when it accomplishes 3 things; 1) Pursues Theology, 2) Pursues Piety, & 3) Engages the culture. When any one of these areas dominates or wanes, the effectiveness of the church wavers. APPLICATION = Because of this trivium, Daniel would permit his name to be changed — it did not violate any of the 3; but when it came to eating certain foods, or bowing before an idol, or hindering his prayer life… these would have compromised one of the 3 priorities. Because his convictions were set, his battles were defined, and though it brought conflict, as a result of it, he became a successful “minister” in 4 administrations. Ergo, when the church maintains these convictions, they will equally gain success.
Brett Bonecutter — Brett was called to pastor a church plant in the OC, one that HAD many goals similar to ours; but the project had to close down. His blog speaks rather candidly about the things he has learned as a church planter, and in my opinion, his advise is sound and has been implemented in our work with success. Brett preached an excellent message from Philippians, chapter 1: Reasons to Praise and Pray. His sermon offered an excellent critique of what true “fellowship” is and how it is really lacking in the “mega churches” (or is it giga churches?) APPLICATION = “Fellowship” cannot happen for 15 minutes after church with a cup of coffee and a danish. Until we really serve side by side with someone and truly learn to love people “up close and personal,” only then will we capture what “communion” really is.
View from the inside is a view to the outside
