Intro: A family was sitting in church on Sunday morning. The little brother was fidgety and whiney. Big sister looked at little brother and said, “why don’t you be still?” “Because church is boring”, he said. The big sister looked and at him and said, “church is supposed to be boring.” (www.sermoncentral.com)
There are certainly some misconceptions about the church. It is loved by so many, it’s also despised by many (due to scandal and abuse and other reasons), and a large portion of society is simply indifferent towards the church.
I want to look at a passage in Scripture from the book of Matthew. In Matthew 16:13-18 Jesus says some straightforward truths regarding the church. This passage has been a controversial passage. The debate has been over what Jesus meant by “on this rock I will build my church. “Rock” was more likely a name given as a promise of what he was to become not for what he was. He became a man of strength. The rock could mean, Peter himself, the faith of Peter, the confession of Peter, Christ himself or a combination of factors. We have to remember that the New Testament is about Jesus and not Peter. There could be a church without Peter but now without Christ. Peter is neither the head nor the foundation of the church. Jesus founded it and it stands or falls with him, and he is yet its living Lord and head.
Look at these lessons from Matthew.
1). The church is not a building.
Church is not somewhere we go, it’s not something we go to it is what we are. Jesus used the Greek word “ekklesia” This word means “a gathering of people; a called out people.” He meant the church is the people of God called out by Him. Jesus did not die for a building but he did die for people. Yet, you go to some churches and it seems the focus is not on people but on great buildings…on building structures. The focus of many churches is how extravagant and how big can we build buildings. Well, God is more interested in building up people. Now, I’m not against buildings. As a matter of fact we are right now in the process of looking for some land or another location to be our permanent home. We are just here temporarily. We are quickly running out of space. That’s why we rented the building next door to give us more room for our youth and children’s ministries. Our parking easily fills up. Nursery is running out of room. We need to make room for more people the Lord is going to send our way. As we go through this exciting, yet tideous process it is important that we stay focused. Not on a building but building up lives. We can’t forget that the church is people. Yes, I want our church to grow. I want this place to be packed—but we better make sure we’re building people up.
So, the church is not a building. Secondly,
2). The church is a new community.
You ever thought about the people who made up the first church? Jesus’s disciples. Those guys weren’t superheroes. Remember when Jesus was arrested? What did all of his disciples do? They ran! After Jesus rose from the grave and went back into heaven. He sent his Holy Spirit down and empowered God’s people. Those early followers were all together and when the presence of God came on them they began to speak in foreign languages.
Acts 2:4-6
This awesome act took place to show us that this new community wasn’t just for a certain kind of people—but all people. Every kind of language and place. This community knows no bounds!
Look at Acts 2:37-38 (Message) Jesus was preaching a message after being empowered by God’s presence. “Cut to the quick, those who were there listening asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers! Brothers! So now what do we do? Peter said, “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact our Master God invites!”
Who did the Lord invite? The blind, the beggar, the prostitute. Why? The healthy don’t need a doctor but the sick do! This new community is made up of sinners bought by Jesus Christ himself! It is so dear to Jesus that he died for the church. Ephesians 5:25-27 “And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and 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.”
This new community was lost but now found. Separated yet brought near. An enemy of God but now a friend. Dead in our sins and now alive with Christ.
There is the universal community (every believer belongs to one another). There is also the local community of believers. In local churches. Many people often ask, “why can’t we all just be one big church?” Because it takes many different kinds of churches to reach many different kinds of people. Bottom line, we belong to one another and need to act like it. We are to live in community. We aren’t just to go to the same place of worship. We are to belong. We have common interests. We are to share with one another. Some of us don’t want any part of living in community. You are missing out on one of the reasons God created you.
3). The church belongs to God. Matthew 16:18
Look at the words “My church..” I do not want to overstate this point because I made it a few weeks ago—the church belongs to Jesus.
4). By his power, the church will triumph. Matthew 16:18b
A better way to translate “gates of Hades” is the “power of death.” The church is victorious! Jesus has already declared that the church will finish its purpose. Not even death will be able to stop it! That was proven later when Jesus died. Many of the first followers of Jesus were martyred for their faith. Many are being persecuted and killed for their faith even now!
You won’t be able to snuff out the church. Jesus died for the church and he is coming back for his “ekklesia”. It will be victorious, it will succeed.
Let’s be honest though…sometimes it seems like we aren’t going to finish what was started. Sometimes things in the church can seem messy and unorganized. People are looking for the perfect church. There is none. And even if there were as soon as you and I would walk in it would become imperfect. Chuck Colson said, “The church is a messy thing. It’s an organic body made up of strange and broken people—dirty sinners who need to be cleansed, sweaty solidiers who need to be equipped for spiritual battles. The church is not a club for perfect people, it’s imperfect, sometimes unpredictable, a cross section of life, and the Holy Spirit uses it to draw lost sheep home to the Father.”
Chuck Colson goes on to say, “The church is like Noah’s ark: The stench inside would be unbearable if it weren’t for the storm outside. It’s true—sometimes we stink and the world is stormy. But as imperfect as we are on this side of heaven, the miracle is that God in fact chooses to use his church—us as His proclaiming love, truth, hope.”
If this is true, then…
5). The church must fulfill its purpose. Each local church must fulfill its purpose.
A summary of the churches purpose is found in two key scriptures:
The Great Commandment—“Love the Lord your God with all your mind with all your heart and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.
The Great Commission—“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” Matthew 28: 19-20
Based on these two powerful scriptures we are to:
• Reach the unchurched and assimilate them
• Lead them into spiritual maturity
• Empower them to identify their unique SHAPE so they can serve others
• Enlist and train people to learn how to share their faith.
In order to fulfill our purpose of reaching out and touching the world we have to have some important values. The following is from “Building a Contagious Church” by Mark Mittleberg.
1). People matter to God.
2). People are spiritually lost.
3). People need Christ.
4). People need answers. (Not just the Bible says so. They need some true answers).
5). People need community. (You ever wonder why “Cheers” and “Friends” are so popular?)
6). People need cultural relevance. (Help people understand the church. The church should be relevant.
7). People need time.
I want to close this morning by showing you the last few minutes of a message by Chuck Colson. If you don’t know, Colson was a part of the Nixon administration and went to prison for his involvement in Watergate. He gave his heart to Christ and now travels around the world and speaks. He has a ministry called “Prison Fellowship.” I want you to hear him tell a story about what happened after a crusade in a Prison in Delaware. I show this to you because he illustrates a picture of what the church is all about.
(Show last 10 minutes of “Being the Body”)
Chuck said three things were important:
Unity
Humility
Holy Boldness
God, make us this kind of church!
“This is my church. It is composed of people just like me. It will be friendly if I am. It will do a great work if I work. It will make generous gifts to many causes if I am generous. It will bring others into its fellowship if I bring them. Its seats will be filled if I fill them. It will be a church of loyalty and love, faith and service, if I who make it what it is, am filled with these. Therefore, with God’s help, I dedicate myself to the task of being all these I want my church to be." (sermoncentral.com)
