One of the principles associated with spiritual maturity is that spiritual maturity comes from learning to see things from God’s perspective. When I come to see things as God sees them, it makes all the difference in the world. When I learn to see those without Christ as God sees them, I develop compassion. When I learn to see fellow Christians as God sees them, I develop patience. When I learn to see myself as God sees me, I develop confidence. Seeing things as God sees them makes a positive and powerful difference in me. That is why I want us to take the next several Sundays to see if we came learn to better see the church as God sees His church.
We read here of the first vision that John recorded in Revelation. In his vision, he saw the Lord Jesus, arrayed in all His glory, standing in the midst of seven golden lampstands. Then in verse 20, the Lord tells him that these seven golden lampstands represent seven churches. They are named in verse 11 and Jesus addresses them in chapters 2 & 3.
It is important to note that Jesus is speaking of local churches here. Too often, when we read what God says about His church, we apply it to the universal church. But these seven golden lampstands represent seven local churches, which means the picture of the church here is one we can apply directly to our church today.
Let’s see what we can learn about how God sees our church, as we think about the church being like a golden lampstand. I believe there are three basic lessons for us to draw from this picture of the church.
1. Our church is precious.
The fact that God portrays His church as a GOLDEN lampstand speaks of how precious His church is to Him.
“You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.” - 1 Corinthians 6:20 (Amplified)
A few years ago, on "Good Morning, America," Joan Lunden
featured some extraordinary gifts that a person might want to
include on their Christmas gift list.
One of them was a Jaguar automobile, the Jaguar 220. To
purchase one, you first go to your Jaguar dealer and put down your $80,000 deposit.
When it is delivered, you pay the balance of $507,000. The Jaguar 220 is a $587,000 automobile, and only 250 are made each year.
Lunden then mentioned that if you purchased the Jaguar, you might also want a car wax that promises to give it the ultimate shine. It retails for $3,400 for an 8 ounce can. I guess if you can afford a $587,000 automobile, why not spend $3,400 for car wax?
A third item she mentioned was a $300,000 gold and silver toilet seat inlaid with precious stones. Of course, there were cheaper gifts for those who have everything: an $18,000 frisbee, a $10,000 yoyo, a $12,000 mousetrap, and even a $27,000 pair of sunglasses.
And for the proud grandparent who is wondering what to buy the new grandbaby, how about a $28,000 pacifier?
Such gifts stagger our imagination, but they are not indescribable. Only God can give gifts beyond description. His greatest gift was His Son. The preciousness of that gift testifies to how precious we are to Him.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold
everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” - Matthew 13:44-46 (NLT)
2. Our church’s potential.
The idea that the church is a GOLDEN lampstand speaks of our
potential. In the mind of God, His church is glorious and His desire is that we reach our full potential as His redeemed people.
“Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” - Ephesians 5:25-27 (NLT)
Notice how Paul says that Christ will present us to himself as a
glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish.
Instead, we will be holy and without fault. That is how God sees us as being now, as He views us from His eternal perspective.
But it is important to note that we do not have to wait until we are in His eternal presence to be all He will one day make us to be. Paul says we can be holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.
In other words, to the degree that we mature, grow, learn, and apply God’s Word to our lives, we can become today, the glorious kind of church fellowship we will be one day.
God calls each of us to BELIEVE. I must place my faith in Christ as my Savior and Lord. But it is not enough to know I have missing Hell and making Heaven, God calls me to also BELONG. I must identify myself with a local body of believers. But identifying
myself with a local church involves far more than simply having my name on a church role. God also calls me to BECOME. Through involvement in a local church, I am to become all God calls me to be, seeking to obey the GREAT COMMANDMENT (Matthew 22:37-39) and the GREAT COMMISSION (Matthew 28:19-20). Too many have stopped at believing, and too many more have stopped at belonging, and too few have gone on to commit to becoming all God calls them to be by seeking to make their local church all that God says we can be.
If the local church is going to develop the kind of beauty that God says is possible, that which will attract others to Christ, we much commit to becoming together, the kind of church Christ calls us to
be. A church that is a biblical fellowship.
In his book, Rediscovering Church, Bill Hybels tells of a message by Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian, who said, “The only kind of fellowship many know in church is after a service when men stand around and ask each other superficial questions. Then they find their wives who are having similar conversations, and go home.
But biblical fellowship has the power to revolutionize lives. Masks come off, conversations get deep, hearts get vulnerable, lives are shared, accountability is invited, and tenderness flows. People really do become like brothers and sisters. They shoulder each other’s burdens - and unfortunately, that was something that few of the people today experience growing up in church in America.
In many churches it just doesn’t seem legal to tell anyone you are having a problem. Families who have sat in the same pew for years suddenly disappear, because of problems. Instead of coming to the church for help, prayer and support, they flee the other way,
because they don’t feel the freedom to say, ‘We love Jesus, but we’re not doing very well. Our lives are unraveling. We need help!’
The implicit understanding is that you shouldn’t have a problem, and if you do you’d better not talk about it around the church.
And in many churches, that’s called fellowship. It shouldn’t be.”
And it needn’t be! As each of us who have believed, and who belong, commit ourselves to becoming more biblical in the way we do church it will make our church more attractive, thus drawing others to Christ!
A young boy was walking to church. On his way someone asked him where he was going. He gave the name of the church, which surprised them. “That’s a long walk - why would you go so far to attend church.” The boy replied, “Because people love you there.”
3. Our church’s purpose.
If the church is like a golden lampstand, then what is it’s purpose? The same as that of any lampstand - to hold up the light.
“No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.” - Matthew 5:15 (NLT)
Our purpose is to exalt Christ and lift Him up. To praise and proclaim Him. To serve and share Him. To know Him and make Him known.
And just like the value and design of the golden lampstand is not seen until it fulfills its purpose of holding up the light, the preciousness of the church is unrecognized and its potential is unrealized unless & until we commit to our purpose of exalting Christ in all things.
Conclusion:
“There is nothing like the local church when it is working right. Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community. It builds bridges to seekers and offers truth to the confused. It provides resources for those in need and opens its arms to the forgotten, the downtrodden, the disillusioned. It breaks the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers belonging to the marginalized of this world. Whatever the capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness. Still to this day, the potential of the local church is almost more than I can grasp. No other organization on earth is like the church. Nothing even comes close.” - Bill Hybels
