Over the past couple of months we have looked at the basics of our Christian beliefs. We considered God’s natural revelation of Himself to all. How we believe in God because our observation of the world demands it. We looked at our belief in the word of God, the Bible, through which we come to know Him and His plan for us. We believe in Jesus, God the Son, through whom God showed His love by sending Him into the world to save us from our sins. We believe in the God the Holy Spirit, by whom we were convicted of our sins and how the Spirit is the seal or guarantee of our salvation. We believe in God’s grace and mercy by we are save through faith.
But how are we to live? God did not leave us alone, and yes we have his presence through His Holy Spirit, but He, that is Jesus, gave to us the Church, through which we live in community with one-another and through which we grow and serve. As we will see, Jesus never called anyone to be a lone ranger Christian. Church membership is not an option. Paul instructs us that:
1 Corinthians 12:27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.
As a believer in Jesus, a saved soul for whom Christ died, we are His earthly body and as Christians, we cannot live apart from the body. If I were to pluck out my eye, or cut off my hand, that eye of hand would die. The same is true if we cut ourselves off from the body of Christ. As Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, most of the letter deals with the community of believers the church. We will look at a small portion of the instruction he gives in that letter this morning.
Ephesians 1:22–23 and Ephesians 2:19–22
D. L. Moody was visiting a prominent Chicago citizen one cold winter day when the idea of church membership and involvement came up. "I believe I can be just as good a Christian outside the church as I can be inside it," the man said. Moody said nothing. Instead, he moved to the fireplace, blazing against the winter outside, removed one burning coal and placed it on the hearth. The two men sat together and watched the ember die out. "I see," the other man said. [1]
Church membership by itself never saved anyone. But once save, a Christian will never be effective and live up to the potential God has intended with out being part of a church. If we are called to come to Jesus and to be a saved believer, we are also called to the church, to be the church, to become a functioning part of the body.
As we look through the New Testament, especially the books of Acts and the writings of Paul, the church is central to the overall message. The instructions given are to the church and not to individual members. How we are act and how we are to care for one another is all in context of the church.
Open your Bibles and look at today’s passages from Ephesians. Just considering these few verses for a moment, look how Paul describes the church:
Ephesians 1:22-23 … the church, 23 which is His body
Ephesians 2:19 … God’s household
Ephesians 2:21 … holy temple in the Lord
Ephesians 2:22 … a dwelling of God in the Spirit
The church, by its very name in the Greek, deals with a gathering of God’s people. The word for which we translate as “church” is most often the Greek word “ekklesia,” which sometime is translated as assembly. We are, as individuals, the assembled people of God. The “ekklesia” means more than just an assembly of people, but people assembled for a purpose. We are gathered for a purpose. One of those purposes is for corporate worship as we are doing today. The writer of Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 10:24–25 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
We stimulate one another to love and good deeds when we are together, not when we are apart. We are clearly instructed to not forsake our gathering together. And we need to be all the more anxious to come together “as you see the day drawing near.” And what day is that? That day when Jesus comes. Look around, we are closer than ever.
In the Old Testament, God met the people in the Temple. The structure was built for that purpose. In the Holy of Holies in the middle of this most elaborate building, God met with the priest once a year. The priest chosen for that honor once a year would enter with a rope tied around him so if he fell dead or faint, he could be pulled out without anyone entering that very holy place.
When Christ died on the cross, the veil in the temple, the veil isolating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the world, was torn (from the top to the bottom, Matthew 27:51) opening up our excess to Him. Now, in the New Testament, God lives in His people. We are His temple. Jesus said:
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
This is a prime reason I look forward to Sunday, The presences of Jesus, His Holy Spirit, when we are gathered for worship, can be overwhelming.
Ephesians 1:22–23 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
He, God the Father, put all things in the entire universe under His, that is Jesus’ feet. Paul is paraphrasing from Psalm 8:6 where it says all things will be under His feet. Jesus will have rule over everything, though He, Jesus, is not exercising it yet. Yet, because men are still in rebellion. But the day is coming:
Philippians 2:9–11 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Every knee one day will bow and acknowledge Jesus as Lord. Those who does so now, will make a difference in eternity.
A God gave Him, Jesus, who is over all, “and gave Him as head over all things to the church.” And Jesus is the head of the church and as we have seen, “the church, which is His body” is you and me. We are Christ’s body here on earth.
Colossians 1:18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
He is the head. We turn to Him for guidance and direction through His Holy Spirit. No one person is head of the church. We do not have a pope, or human presiding over that church. Our CEO is Jesus. As such, the church government is a type of democracy in which we as believers filled with the same Holy Spirit seek together that will of God for this local assembly of His body.
And we have “the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” We run into problems when we do not do things in His fullness.
Now, as the church, the assembly of His body, are fellow citizens of heaven, fellow family members with one another.
Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
An interesting use of words here. As we have been studying 1 Peter on Wednesday evenings, Peter tells us we are strangers and aliens (1 Peter 2:11) in this world. We are just passing through. But Paul is saying the opposite. To understand what Paul is saying, we must understand the context. The church in Ephesus was an assembly of all different people, Jews, Greeks, Romans, slaves and free, of different nationalities and cultures and economic statuses. In the church, we are all equal before God. Paul tells us:
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
In the world we have racial strife and cultural divides. Not so in the church. We “are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints.” This another reason the church is so important, where else can we be on equal footing with everyone. I don’t care who you are, rich or poor, black or white, male or female, we are equal before God and in this place, we are on equal footing with one another. If not, we should be. Not so out there in the world, but among the assembly of God’s people, we are equal with one another. We are all equal members
of God’s household.
This is why we call one another brothers and sisters in Christ. In Paul’s day, this was huge. No other element in society was anything like the church. No wonder the downtrodden in that world flocked to the church.
Ephesians 2:20–21 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
We are not just any gathering of people. We or not like a social club, a country club, a civic organization like the Kiwanis or the Rotary Clubs or even the Chamber of Commerce. Our foundation is Jesus. “Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,”
First of all Jesus is the cornerstone. The stone that is laid first and from which all other building is based and from which all measurements are made. “The foundation of the apostles and prophets” is all based on the their teaching concerning Jesus. Prophets here is reference to NT prophets, not from OT. And what are they teaching and prophesying?
1 Corinthians 3:11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
It is all about Jesus and we are all about Jesus. We are His body and as such we are compared to stones building up the house of God, “in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.” So now the analogy changes from parts of a body to that of building materials. We are the stones or bricks of God’s house. Peter, in his letter, says the same thing.
1 Peter 2:4–5 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Are you getting the picture? We cannot leave a part of the body, we cannot leave out a rock or brick, part of the structure to the temple. We are part of one another. We belong together. There is no call in all of scripture for us to be alone. (no secret agents for Christ either).
Ephesians 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
We are being built together. We together are the body of Christ, the dwelling place of God Himself. If God dwells in the church, why would we not want to be were God is present?
And to be built together is an active thing. You are not being built into the structure of the God’s holy temple if all you do is come, sit, and leave. If that is all you do, then you have visited God’s temple, but you are not a part of His temple. To be part, you must be here, you must be active. No, not everyone can teach, but everyone can serve. This is the place where you use the gifts that God has given you. And together we are to effect the world.
When we are part of the family, each have their own chores to do. the same is true in God’s household. What is your part in the body? What is your chore as part of the family.
Being an active member of the body of Christ is not an option for the saved believer in Jesus. Apart from the assembly, we grow cold and non-functional. Do you long for the fellowship missed when you are away? Do you seek out other local body of believers when you are away from here?
We grow and worship together. Together we can change the world.
[1] www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/60911/church-body-of-christ-by-sermon-central
