This Is Church Part 1

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Intro:

When we talk about church and what church is there’s many phrases and words that are used to describe it

Some are straight from Scripture

Some have been brought up through church history

We can think of words like body, bride, fellowship, congregation, assembly, House of God

And when we speak of church and use phrases and words like it for each and every one of us in here we all think about different things

Perhaps you think of Worship

Maybe you think of Sunday mornings

Maybe you think of lunch at grandma’s

But biblically speaking, what is church?

As we follow the timeline and events of God’s redemptive plan for human history we see from a very macro view

God chooses a man and woman who He creates in His image and places on earth to have dominion over it, to subdue it, to fill it and to spread God’s kingdom and glory that way

Genesis 1:27–28 NIV

27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Of course that doesn’t work out but God still uses Adam to fulfill His mission and so God chooses a specific people from Adam, a nation. The nation of Israel.

Exodus 19:3–6 NIV

3 Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

If the Israelites obey God fully and keep His covenant with Him, He gives them the 10 commandments right after this, then God promises they will become God’s treasured possession and they will be priests and a holy nation

So we see this plan for the nation of Israel to act on behalf of God to world around them

But Israel is unable to do this. The curse of sin is still over them

They choose idols and other God’s

They worship created things instead of the creator

And more often then not instead of acting on behalf of God they act against Him

And so God chooses another route.

He still uses Adam, and He still uses Israel.

For from them comes the greater Adam, the last Adam and the true and greater Israel.

1 Corinthians 15:45 NIV

45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

God chooses His Son.

And Jesus takes on the cross

He defeats the curse of Sin and makes His presence available for all

And the avenue of redemption is funneled through none other than the church.

Soon after Christ’s departure, the Holy Spirit comes, the church is formed, and the kingdom expands

Now, the problem today is that the church has become things Jesus never intended it to be, and we will talk more about that in week 4

There’s a contemporary poem titled “the church today.”

Outwardly splendid as of old; Inwardly sparkless, void and cold. Her force and fire all spent and gone, Like the dead moon she still shines on.

A harsh take on church. But one that many align with.

But that’s not the view and intention of Jesus for His church

We see an interaction that we will spend more time on in week 3

Matthew 16:15–19 NIV

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

God adore’s His church and empowers His church

The apostle Paul when informing how husbands ought to love their wives writes this

Ephesians 5:25 NIV

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

Christ gives His life for the church. That’s the kind of love He has for her.

So what I want us to see today is that Christ loves the church! And Christ is faithful to the church

A BIBLICAL CHURCH IS A FAITHFUL CHURCH

As Christ gives His life for the church and it’s mission to spread the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth, the church ought to be faithful to Christ and His mission

If it is not, then it is not church.

Now, what is a church? What makes up a church?

Is it a pastor speaking on a Sunday morning?

Is it worship on a Wednesday night?

Is it Bible study on a Tuesday?

The apostle Paul wrote to a church that lost sight of what church is

There were some who were beginning to use their positions to invoke power over others

So in 1 Cor 12 he describes the church like this

1 Corinthians 12:12–20 NIV

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Now, one thing that may jump out at you is that nowhere in this description is the word building used.

It uses the word body

This is where the phrase body of believers comes from. Or we are His body.

What we should see is that there is no independent part of God’s church

The church functions as a body

And just like our physical bodies, the church is made up of members using their gifts to work together

The other day I was out in my back yard swinging the golf club.

Wren with everything out of sync

The church is all of us coming together with the gifts we’ve been given to care for, encourage, speak truth, worship with, give of ourselves, pray for, fellowship with one another.

Everything working in sync

THE CHURCH IS DIVERSITY IN UNITY

We have all been gifted differently

So your ability and gifts don’t look like mine

Just like min do not look like yours

So we have those who are strong in a guest services role

You tend to be more of a people person

You easily connect, your hospitable, you probably communicate well

You have people who are more behind the scenes

They love a task and love to work with their hands

We have people who are gifted in administration

We have people gifted in evangelism

So you love to speak about the gospel to people who haven’t heard it before

We have what we would shepherding

It’s more like discipleship, its helping grow and care for God’s people

Part of our membership process here at cornerstone if taking a spiritual gifting test so that we can know but so that you can also know

Here are the areas in which God has gifted me most and so these are the places I can help the church most effectively

Like hey, I’m an arm so I don’t need to try to be a foot

The body needs the arm so be an arm

A body with all arms is not a body

The church needs diversity but all in unity

So, what does this look like for you?

First, seek God. Ask Him to guide you and grant you wisdom to impart in the church what He would desire you to

Second, plug in! Church was never meant to be done from the outskirts looking in.

We will talk about this more later in the weeks to come

Church is not a building. Church is not come in on a Sunday morning for an hour and leave out in time for lunch

Church isn’t even just a service. You are the church!

So, let me be brutally honest here. the church, in fact, more specifically, Cornerstone needs people who are completely sold out for the gospel and kingdom of God

And cornerstone needs that person to be you!

Imagine if, just the people in this room serve as much as they really could, gave as much as they really could, and spread the gospel as much as they really could

I guarantee you, that Taylor county would look different.

We have such great opportunities presented to us all the time that we just can’t do what we wish we could because we don’t have the resources

Imagine if we did.

Third, be the church outside of Sunday mornings.

Our community is hurting and in desperate need of the church because they are in desperate need of Jesus

This week, how can you be the church?

What giftings has God given you and how can you use that to be the church this week? This month?

A biblical church is a faithful church

We started out by saying and we are going to end on it

Christ has been, is, and will be faithful to the church

Has the church been faithful to Him?

Has church just become another event that you go to on the weekends if you have time

Or are we going to begin to cherish the church the way Jesus did?

A biblical church is a beautiful thing

What gifting has God given you and how can you use that to be the church this week? This month?