TITLE: HOW TO BE A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH
SCRIPTURE: ST. MATTHEW 16:16-19
There was a question posed to a few of the ministers some weeks ago as we sat around the dinner table during the Holidays. The question was asked of us, “How Do We View the Condition of the Church?” It was a challenging question we thought about and eventually responded. We ultimately came to a consensus that the Church as we perceive it today is not the Church Jesus birthed during the First Century. Therefore we had a dual response to this challenging question.
• Firstly, the Church as we view it today does not appear to be in very good shape at all. It appears to be on the decline and not spiritually sound or strong
• Secondly, the Church which has been established by Christ and still in existence today is Strong and on Good Ground. Remember the text Jesus calls to our attention the Gates of Hell Cannot and will not be able to prevail against the Church.
• Therefore, the Church established by Christ is solid today and Spiritually Powerful
I want to focus our attention on one particular part of this text found in VS. 18 - where the Lord says, "I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH."
• Men can build Buildings
• Men can build Organizations
• But only Jesus Christ can build the Church
There are churches built by men, some of them you have attended, no doubt, as I have. But here our Lord says, "I will build My church," the only one approved by God and supernaturally constructed. It is my desire here at PPWC to see Christ build His church. I want this church to be the church that Christ is building. That's why we resist the gimmicks and techniques and manipulations and all the rest that people use to increase attention or numbers, all we want to do is get out of the way so the Lord can build His church His way. Christ will not build MY Church, but He will continue to build this HIS Church.
This particular passage of Scripture, I think, is the most hopeful one in all of the NT with regard to encouragement for those in the ministry because it gives us the promise of God that He will build His church. There are many false views of Jesus’ church in the religious world today. These false views take away from the truth that Jesus is the architect – builder - owner of His church. A Pastor is very inaccurate whenever he or she states:
• I was telling my Church
• I was telling my People
• The Church is and will always belong to the Lord
• Members are not my people
• We are the Sheep of the Lord’s Pasture
Before we continue to march forward through this series it is important to point out four things the church is not. FIRSTLY – THE CHURCH IS NOT A MATERIAL BUILDING. Of the 140 times the word church is used in the NT, not once does it refer to a material building. The language used to apply to the church could not refer to a material building.
• “The Lord added to the church”
• “The church was persecuted”
• “Paul saluted the church”
• “The church had rest”
• The church is the body of believers which might meet and worship wherever possible
• The church is not the building
The SECOND thing – THE CHURCH IS NOT A DENOMINATION - Christian denominations in many ways are evidence of divisions among believers. Usually denominations are formed around a doctrinal emphasis or influential leader. I am not opposed to Christian denominations but we should encourage unity and working together as the church, the body of Jesus Christ. People who are a part of different denominations are our brothers and sisters in Christ and we are one body.
• Denominations divide us
• Church designed to unite not to divide
• People talking about I am so glad I am Pentecostal
• People talking about I am so glad I am Apostolic
• People talking about I am so glad I am Holiness
• People talking about I am so glad I am Baptist
• We need to talk about I am so glad I am Saved
• We are living in a generation where denominations are trying to come together more
• We need to come together with the understanding we are all Children of God
Whenever we look at the religious landscape today that is known by the word “Christianity,” it seems clear what we see is so different than what we see in the Bible. We see multiple denominations that teach different, and at times, contradictory things. Of course, when teachings contradict, we know that they cannot both be true. Either one of the two teachings is correct (Biblical) or both are wrong. All of these groups cannot be right. This is not the Church which Christ birthed.
THIRDLY – THE CHURCH IS NOT A CLUB FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE - Too often people think of the church as their club or their place to go for recreation and fellowship. The Greek word for church is “EKKLESIA” and it literally means “ASSEMBLY.”
• Thus the church is the assembly of believers
• The church is an assembly of God’s people for the purpose of doing his work
• You and I are not to love this building or the furnishing
• We are not to get an ownership mentality
• We are to love and sacrifice for our Lord and His assembly of believers
• We don’t assemble to do Church
• We don’t assemble to get our Praise on
• We assemble to be taught how to go out and do the work of our Savior
FINALLY – THE CHURCH IS NOT “PLAN B” - in the mind of God, the church was not merely instituted after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The church was prophesied throughout the OT.
• No more Tents for Worship are required
• No moving around the Ark of the Covenant
• No more Synagogue and Holy of the Holies
• No more Temple to impress the people
• Upon this Rock I will Build My Church
All too often we think the Church is a place where we should be entertained. I talk to some from large ministries, and for the record there is nothing wrong with the large and Mega Church. All too often there is a lack of knowing the Word with those associated with large ministries. Leaders treat them more like spectators or an audience. We don’t even call them Church or Ministry Fellowships we now have Meetings. Can I tell you a Church is not an audience.
• A sharp distinction ought to be made between a church and an audience
• An audience is a group of unrelated people drawn together by a short-lived attraction
• A church is a group of born again believers drawn together by a Savior
• An Audience is a Crowd - A Church is a Family
• An Audience is a Gathering - A Church is a Fellowship
• An Audience is a Heap of Stones - A Church is a Temple of Worship
Preachers are ordained, not to attract an audience, but to build a church. Coarse and worldly men, if richly gifted, can draw audiences, but only a man who is given to the Lord Jesus Christ can be co-labors with God and build a church. (Charles E. Jefferson. Leadership, Vol. 11, no. 4.) What is the Church?
• Many see it as a Social Club
• Others only know it as a place to Practice their Religion
• But the Church is much more than that
• It is a Living Organism
• It is Jesus Christ Himself, who Loves It
• It is Jesus Christ Himself, who Builds It
• It is Jesus Christ Himself, who Died for It
I believe God is doing something different today as He continues to build His Church.
• There are about 200 million non-churched people in America, making America one of the four largest “unchurched” nations in the world
• Each year about 3,500 churches close their doors permanently
• Today, of the approximately 350,000 churches in America, four out of five are either plateaued or declining
• One American denomination recently found that 80% of its converts came to Christ in churches less than two years old
• I believe that God is beginning to combine and bring Churches and Ministries together
• God’s Church is beginning to take on new life and coming together like no other time in our history
• The newer Church Plants are growing at a tremendous pace
• Church Plants are out pacing larger and denominational churches
• God is changing the hearts of those that are coming to His Church
I mentioned in the opening there are two churches. One is the Church as we believe it is or should be and then the Church that Jesus designed it to be. In the Church today, there appear to be challenges that cause it to stumble. In today’s church we don’t like that sin and grace stuff. No more “Poor Miserable Sinner.”
• We no longer want to hear about “Forgiveness of sins” - That’s not what people want to hear
• And don’t talk so much about Jesus dying on the cross - I mean, what a downer!
• Oh, we still have to mention Jesus, of course, just to keep things legit
• Our praise choruses will say how much we love the Lord, and he’s really awesome, and “Lord, we just want to praise you!”
• But let’s not get too much more specific than that
• Although people do want specifics when it comes to how to live their lives
That’s what the message, the teaching (don’t use the word “sermon”), needs to be about: us, me.
• Tell me what I need to be doing in order to be successful and victorious in my life
• Life-coaching that makes people feel good about themselves and feel like they’re being spiritual
• That’s what people in our culture want
• And if the church wants to grow, then that’s what we’ve got to give them
Oh, and programs, too. Don’t forget the programs. Lots of them. Keep the people busy.
• Mother’s Day Out
• Yoga class
• Youth groups earning points to go to Disney World
• Lots and lots of programs
What gets lost in the shuffle here is Jesus.
• It’s almost like you could build a church without him
• At least the Jesus we find in the pages of the New Testament
• Jesus the Redeemer - not Jesus the Life Coach
• Jesus the Savior – not Jesus the Motivational Speaker
• Jesus the Deliverer – not Jesus the 12 Step Program
Jesus said “ON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH.” He takes ownership in the process. He calls it “MY CHURCH.” The Church belongs to Christ.
• Not MyChurch.com
• Not PeoplesChurch.com
• Not ChurchTV.com
• Not LifeChurch.tv
• Not pick and choose how you do church
It’s Jesus’ church, not ours, and he gets to decide what kind of a church it’s going to be. So maybe we ought to be about finding out what Jesus would have his church emphasize – teach – do – be like. Maybe our ideas about how to build the church need to be shaped and refined a bit by His. After all, it is His church.
• Jesus says He will Build It
• Jesus says He will do the Building
• Jesus says He will do it His Way
He goes on to say “THE GATES OF HELL WILL NOT PREVAIL.” Can I tell you GOD’S CHURCH IS IN GOOD SHAPE! The Church we have designed does not look to good however. And when the church is built by Jesus, in his way, with the strength he gives it, the gates of hell shall not be able to prevail against his church.
• The Church may not always look all that Impressive
• The Church may not always look as Successful and Victorious
• The Church may not always look as Stable as it should
• Can I tell you Jesus did not look all that good hanging on the Cross
• Woops, we don’t like to talk about that in the Church any longer
• The point is, when Jesus builds his church, in his way, it is strong, even when it is weak
THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH DOESN’T ALWAYS LOOK APPEALING. Its location doesn’t appear to be the best. The devil declares that no such foundation is needed. Human reason leads to other foundations that are more appealing to the senses. Nevertheless, every day, thousands of people across our world choose to build their lives on Christ.
There is a Severe Misconception as to what the Church is and what it ought to look like today.
When the word “Church” is used in the universal sense –
• It is not speaking of a Building
• It is not speaking of an Organization
• It is not speaking of a Group of Local Churches
• It is not speaking of Denominations put together
• It is not speaking of a Clergy System
• The Church is built on individual people who are called by God and become Christians
We are the Church, it is not the building or any other building. We are God’s Building. Paul wrote to the believers and said – "In case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth." What is this Church Paul talks about? It is the Church found in the Scriptures and called:
• The Church of Christ
• The Church of God
• The Body of Christ
• The Temple of God
• The Kingdom of God
• The Bride of Christ
All of these “names” were not put on signs in front of buildings.
• All of these names were Descriptive
• They tell us something about this special group of people
• This is different from what we see in Christianity today
• Usually a local church picks one name to go by
• But this was not the case in the New Testament
• The one church was described in all of these ways
• I will Build My Church
What I believe to have been one of the greatest movements over the past 100 years was the “What Would Jesus Do?” phase we went through almost 15 years ago. You remember what that was all about – asking the question, What Would Jesus Do before we did anything. The ideology was fantastic! What better description of Christian life is there than to live like Jesus? The marketing was great! Remember the WWJD bracelets, tee-shirts, necklaces, and the like. But what happened to this movement?
• Like the Prayer of Jabez, it was little more than a fad
• As a result we let the most promising spark of spiritual renewal fizzle just when we were on the verge of letting Jesus take back His people and His church
• We heard all the sermons and Bible class lessons we wanted to hear on the subject
• And we took our interests and our dollars elsewhere
• Waiting for the next fad to sweep through Christendom
When we do let Jesus back into His church, it just might be a painful experience. He will demand great things from us and will not tolerate complacency or half-hearted commitment. He will demand changed lives from the work-place to the home-place to the church-house. And everywhere in between. In God’s eyes a great church is one in which you and I become more and more like Jesus thus making Him known.
• Great churches impact their families, friends, communities and their world with the reality of the risen Christ
• The monotonous, humdrum and empty lives of people are transformed by the power of ordinary believers as the life and power of Christ works in and through their lives
• That’s what makes a church great
• It is this Church where the Gates of Hell Shall Never Prevail
--My church – The Lord’s Church!
--That was God’s plan from the beginning of time
--Through Jesus Christ to build His church as “a chosen people
--Through Jesus Christ to a royal priesthood
--Through Jesus Christ a holy nation
--A people belonging to God
