When it comes to games, I don’t believe there is a more avid game player than my wife. She loves to play games. We have a card game that we like to play called
"hand and foot." I like that one, but my wife likes ’em all.
When we were first married, the first Christmas, her folks went to New Orleans to visit family. Patty and I and her older brother and sister had the week off between Christmas and New Year’s. We stayed at her folks house and played games for a week. The only time we left the house was to possibly go to Jack-in-the-Box.
This Christmas, Patty spent hours looking for the perfect game. Unfortunately, I was with her for the annual Christmas shopping crunch. I call it Christmas Storm. It’s kind of like Desert Storm with Christmas carols. As we searched for games, I noticed one name that kept popping up. Milton Bradley. Who is that guy?
Where does he come up with all those ideas for games? Is that all he does, just sit around and dream ways to frustrate middle-aged men? I still don’t know the answers to all those questions, but I do know that many people enjoy the games he has created.
It isn’t important to meet Milton Bradley in order to play his games. All you have to do is read the instructions, get the game board out, and enjoy the game.
Since the early 1960’s most denominations in the U.S. have experienced either a decline or they have plateaued. At the same time there is widespread evidence that there is a growing hunger for spiritual matters. Could it be that we have been guilty of going about our church activities and programs as if they were a "new church game?" We shop for a program, unpackage it, read the directions, and start to play. Everyone becomes involved in the game, but we see few results.
A young fellow had gone to his first church as pastor. He desperately wanted to make a good impression. So he decided he would position himself at the covered drive, open the door for the ladies and personally welcome each family as they arrived for Sunday School. Some of the people were absolutely delighted.
Others were not so pleased, as they were still in the process of getting dressed
or putting on make-up as they arrived. Some were involved in the discussion about "why we’re always late for church."
One Sunday the pastor noticed a rather intense discussion going on between a young boy and his father. They were about three cars back so he was able to observe the conversation for a few moments. It wasn’t too difficult to guess the nature of the disagreement.
The young fellow was dressed in his Sunday best. He was obviously unhappy.
His dad was dressed in what was probably his favorite golf outfit and he was delivering his young son for Sunday School. As the pastor reached for the door, the boy made one last ditch effort to establish his position: "Dad, are you sure you went to church when you were a little boy?" "Yes, son, I’ve told you over and over again I went every Sunday." "Well, I bet it won’t do me any good either!"
We laugh but there is some distress in our laughter.
How could this man go to church for years and there not be any evidence to convince his son of its value? Had he only played a game that produced no results? Or better yet, if it was of value, why had he now found golf to be a greater priority? Maybe we ought to ask a more fundamental question: Do we really believe that what we do at church of eternal significance? Or are we just playing church?
The church is no game! For that reason we need to take a fresh new look
at the doctrine of the church. In my opinion, the New Testament church is the most exciting topic that can be discussed. No organization on the face of the earth has the church’s authority, power, or potential. Yet we must reluctantly confess that there is no organization where membership is valued to little. For many folks it is given considerably less priority than their involvement in a community organization or sports club.
We will reverse this trend only when we come to a full biblical understanding of the nature of the church as God intends it to be. We must then start at the place of origin.
The Demanding Question
We need to keep the context of Matthew 16 clearly in focus. The question, "Who do you say that I am?" and Peter’s answer form the climax of a long section of material that actually began with the inauguration of Jesus’ public ministry recorded in Matthew 4:17. At this point Jesus had not yet publicly declared
His messianic identity and authority. Nonetheless, it had been clear and unmistakable in both His teaching and His public actions.
This is especially the case in Matthew 12:22-37 where Jesus healed a demon-possessed man. The crowd had speculated concerning whether Jesus could be the "Son of David," a messianic title. The Pharisees had accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul. Jesus responded, "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." The Jewish leaders clearly understood the messianic overtones of His words and demanded a sign of authentication (12:38). At the beginning of this sixteenth chapter we encounter the Pharisees and Sadducees again demanding from Jesus a sign to authenticate His messianic authority. Jesus responded that they had been able to predict the weather by reading the signs of the sky.
The obvious implication is that they had witnessed plenty of evidence in the works and words of Jesus, if they would but open their eyes and ears to the clear signs of Jesus’ ministry.
The setting for this conversation is Caesarea Philippi, a non-Jewish area near the headwaters of the Jordan. It appears to be a private conversation
involving only Jesus and His disciples. No doubt, as was His custom, Jesus had taken His disciples aside to give them further instruction. Jesus first asked, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" (Matt. 16:13). What is the popular opinion? There was a growing consensus that Jesus was one of the prophets. The suggestion that He was John the Baptist may well reflect the opinion of Herod the tetrarch (14:1-2). It appears that Herod had developed an almost paranoid fear about this prophet who had challenged his life-style. Those who believed Jesus to be Elijah saw Him as a forerunner of the messiah, still to be revealed (Mal. 4:5-6). The identification with Jeremiah might have emerged because people saw in Jesus’ ministry and teaching a mixture of suffering and authority like that embodied by Jeremiah. Further, it is likely that they sensed a common chord in their teaching of impending judgment on Israel.
The critical question now was posed to the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" We should never overlook the fact that this question is as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago.
It is also a question that every individual must personally face. The question is not what do others think about Jesus. It is not so much what your parents or your neighbors or the skeptics think, but who do you say Jesus is? Have you honestly and openly confronted and answered that question?
The word translated "you" is emphatic and plural. It is addressed to the disciples as a group. They had been with Jesus. They had not only seen His public actions and heard His teachings, but also they had enjoyed the benefit of His personal tutoring. Their understanding should be advanced beyond that of the general public or even that of the Jewish leaders.
The Daring Confession (vv. 16-17)
I have tried to recreate this scene in my own imagination. Perhaps the disciples were sitting about an open fire having just shared an evening meal. After the non-threatening question concerning the opinion of others, Jesus looked from face to face as He posed the demanding question, "Who do you say that I am?"
You can almost feel the excitement, the quickening of the pulse rates, the constriction of the throats, and the heavy swallowing as they wondered: Do we dare say it? It must have been that these words of confession had nearly burst from their lips on several previous occasions, but they had been choked back.
Now their growing conviction could be concealed no longer. Peter, the disciple who often served as a spokesman for the twelve, gave expression to the conviction and hope that had been growing stronger in all of them. His words of confession are direct, simple, and to the point, "Thou art the Christ" (v. 16).
Christ is the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew messiah.
What a daring confession! Can you sense the excitement? The long-awaited Messiah! The King from the line of David! The One whom God had sent to restore His people! The fulfillment of God’s promises! The One who would usher in the kingdom of God! The One who was the author of redemption and forgiveness! This was the first occasion in Matthew’s Gospel where the messianic title had been used in reported speech. Can you hear the trembling words that must have forced their way out of Peter’s lips? You are the Messiah!
We have read or repeated this confession so often that it sometimes fails to create in us the true excitement and wonder that it should. We are so removed from that moment we forget how truly daring it was. In a few short years men and women would die for repeating these words of confession. We must sense again this excitement. Jesus, whom we claim to serve, is God’s Messiah: the one and only answer for the sin of the world.
Peter continued his confession: "The Son of the living God." While this event is recorded by both Mark and Luke, Matthew alone included this final element
of Peter’s confession. It seems likely that Matthew wanted us to understand that Peter’s declaration went beyond the nationalistic fervor of Jewish messianic expectation and indicated an awareness of Jesus’ special relationship with God.
Jesus was not simply a Jewish hero or deliverer but uniquely "the Son of the living God."
It is significant that Peter’s confession came in the calm of private inquiry rather than in response to the casting out of demons or the stilling of a storm.
Sometimes, in the midst of emotionally charged circumstances, people make confessions concerning that which they do not follow through. Already in Matthew, some of the crowd had yelled out messianic titles such as "Son of David" in response to Jesus’ ministry (9:27; 12:23). For them, confession was still emotional speculation. But Peter’s confession marks a crucial stage in the disciples’ understanding of Jesus. They had followed Him out of the hope and conviction that He was Messiah. The full understanding of even this confession
still awaited the post resurrection experience. We see this in Peter’s response to Jesus’ announcement that as Messiah He must suffer and die. Nonetheless, this is a significant milestone of growing understanding, conviction, and faith.
Jesus Himself recognized it as such with His response, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona." Further He declared that this confession was the result of divine revelation, not human reasoning.
This declaration was not a response to "signs and wonders" as demanded and yet ignored by the leaders of the Jews, but it was a matter of revelation. Today there appears to be a subtle, or not so subtle, eagerness of some church leaders to highlight "signs and wonders" in evangelism. A close study of New Testament evidence will indicate that "signs and wonders" were not always convincing evangelistic tools in Jesus’ day, nor do I think they will prove to be so in our culture today. Ultimately, true saving confession of Jesus as one’s personal Savior is by revelation of the Father. Salvation is the internal working of God’s Spirit who reveals to us the truth about our sin and His Son.
The Implication of the Confession
It should not be overlooked that the declaration of God’s plan to grow a messianic community is bound to the confession of Jesus’ messianic identity. The connection is clear in verse 18 where Jesus’ reply to Peter is continued, "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock will I build My church."
Here, for the first time, Jesus declared God’s eternal plan to build a messianic community made up of those who have a relationship with Him through His Son.
We should note that our view of Christ as the unique Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, is bound up with our view of the church. If we do not properly and biblically conclude that Jesus is the unique Son of God, the Messiah, God’s one answer for the world’s sin problem, we have no basis for understanding the unique origin, function, and authority of the New Testament church.
If we do not hold to the uniqueness of Jesus, the church becomes nothing more than another institution, at best a divine country club. The other side of the coin is equally true. When we profess to believe that Jesus is the Christ, we cannot treat His church with apathy.
One other passage where this great truth comes to light is in Colossians 1.
In the Colossian letter Paul was dealing with heretical teaching that threatened the existence of the church. We can determine from Paul’s response that one facet of the heretical teaching was the denial of the uniqueness of Jesus as the Messiah and Savior. This in turn led to a devaluation of the church
that was based upon Christ. When Christ was devalued, then the church became nothing more than one of the many mystery religions of that day. Paul began with a prayer that they might be filled with the knowledge so that they could walk in a worthy manner (v. 9-10). In verse 12 we find the beginning of one of the greatest Christological statements in all of Scripture as Paul detailed the uniqueness of Christ. Let’s consider these unique claims.
1. He is the only source of redemption (1:12-14).
In ourselves, we are not fit to share in the heritage of God’s people, but in Christ we are qualified.
2. He is the "image of the invisible God" (v. 15).
We must put no limitations on this verse. Paul was declaring that Christ was and is and ever will be the image of God.
3. He is the Lord of creation.
He is both the means of God’s creative activity and the Sustainer of the universe. Three prepositions define the lordship of Christ in regard to creation. All things were created "by Him, " "for Him," and it holds together "in Him." The stacking of phrases in verse 16 was intended to impress upon the reader that as a part of His lordship over creation, He is supreme over all supernatural powers.
4. He is the head of the church (v. 18).
He is the "head" in the sense of being sovereign of the church. He alone is sovereign over the church. The word for church is ekklesia or "congregation."
It is made up of redeemed people of God, and it is the means whereby Christ carries out His mission here on earth. This is the same word Jesus used in Matthew 16:18 when He declared His intention of building a new community.
The paragraph from verses 18-23 explains the basis for Christ’s supremacy.
He is "first-born" from the dead, the One in whom the "fulness" of God dwells.
He alone can reconcile alienated men and women to God. But the focusing of our attention once again should be this unique interlinking of the lordship of Christ and the creation of the church. His uniqueness is the basis of our uniqueness. We are His new creation .... the zenith of His messianic work.
We are a part of God’s eternal plan of redemption!
Relevant Questions
This is indeed an awesome truth once it is comprehended. If we look at Colossians 1:25 we hear the wonder in Paul’s testimony: "Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit." If we do not believe these unique truths about God’s Son, we will never fully comprehend the true significance of the church. In turn, our involvement in the church becomes an issue of habit or even convenience that often fades to apathy. For those who deny these unique truths, the church is nothing more than another religious institution.
We also must be challenged by the opposite side of this truth. If we confess to believe these truths, and then we treat the church with apathy or even contempt, it is the worst form of hypocrisy. Our apathy creates a hindrance to evangelism and drains the church of its effectiveness. Our bulging church rolls and declining attendance figures must stand as an indictment against us.
Ladies and gentlemen, the key to church growth is enrollment in small groups, like the Sunday School. That is why our Sunday School is so vital to the health of our church. On any given Sunday, half of our Sunday School enrollment, will be absent. Where are they? What are we going to do about it? These are penetrating and relevant questions.
Are we going to be satisfied with these statistics simply because this is the way it is in all of our churches, or can we experience a true revival of commitment?
We must think through these relevant matters. I have occasionally heard of so-called Christians who are not involved in a local church. They want to claim membership in the "universal church," but they can’t find a church good enough for them, or they haven’t got time for a church now. I think we must challenge this unbiblical assumption that a person can belong to some universal church and not confess it through a real-life commitment to a local expression of a church.
We must further question the casual attitude that has emerged about church attendance, participation, and service. The church is not simply a convenient place to gather, a good place to meet and make friends. It is not simply an organization designed to provide for child care while we play golf or to help us keep our youth corralled. It is not simply an asset to our neighborhood that helps Realtors sell homes. The church is Christ’s creation, His body, His bride.
He died to redeem the church, and He will return for it. Therefore, can we treat it with such casual indifference? Too much is at stake not to challenge the apparent apathy of many church members.
I trust that we can address these issues, find biblical answers, and experience revival. Let’s unleash the mightiest power ever seen: the church as God planned for it to be! Church is no game!
Since church is no game, we must point to one other difference between our childhood experience of playing games and our church activities. Scrabble can be played without knowing Milton Bradley, but we can’t belong to the church unless we know its Author. Until the disciples confessed that Jesus Christ was their Messiah, God’s only Son, they could not understand nor participate in the mission of the church. Until you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you can’t be a part of the church, understand its significance, nor experience its divine empowering. It doesn’t matter whether you were raised a Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Episcolopian, or whatever; you must still accept Jesus as your personal Savior. You must confess Him as your Lord.
Right now you can confess Jesus as Lord if you never have. Here are the important biblical steps to trusting Jesus as your personal Savior:
1. Recognize His love for you.
2. Admit your need for Him.
3. Agree with God about your sin, and
4. Invite Jesus to come into your life.
You might want to express this in a prayer. Prayer is simply talking to God.
"Dear Father, I know you love me. I know that I am a sinner and that I need forgiveness. Right now I invite you into my life. Thank you for saving me."
It’s that simple. If you prayed that prayer, Jesus is your personal Savior.
Welcome to the family of God. The next step is to make that decision public.
