IDENTITY OF COMMUNITY

INTRODUCTION

OUR UNITY IS IN THE SPIRIT & COMES FROM OUR COMMUNION WITH THE FATHER.

CHRIST IS THE FOUNDATION OF COMMUNITY

Today: IDENTITY of COMMUNITY

TENSION

Every individual, family, organization, and community has an IDENTITY.

FIRST NAME – LAST NAME vs. LAST NAME, FIRST NAME

What are we doing to represent the name we have been given?

The IDENTITY of our COMMUNITY comes from Christ, and its IMPACT comes from the two or three GATHERED IN HIS NAME.

THE EARLY CHURCH…BOOK OF ACTS…LOOK AT IT’S EXPANSIVENESS IN EVANGELISM AND DISCIPLESHIP

Early “church” never referred to buildings, but to people

Individuals who operated 24/7 “from house to house” all over their community as a transformational living organism, not a static institution (Acts 2:46; 5:42)

The purpose of early church was to transform not just people, but all of society…

Early church was so powerful that it overcame both the political and religious institutions bent on destroying it.

In a matter of weeks after it’s birth, the first New Testament church filled all of Jerusalem with it’s teachings (Acts 5:28), leading many thousands of people in just a few days to join by confessing the Jesus was the Son of God…only weeks after they had chosen to kill Him.

Just two years after Apostle Paul planted the church in Ephesus, everyone who lived in the Roman province of Asia heard the word of the Lord (Acts 19:10), meaning over a million people heard the good news within two years.

Not much longer, Paul was able to declare with certainty that “from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum” he had “fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:19). That was an area of over 300,000 square miles.

This made Paul set his eyes to go all the way to Spain, some 3,500 miles away.

All of this, and more, was done without military or governmental support…it was done without seminaries, without campuses, without programs, without professional ministers, without modern technology, or livestreaming, or even motorized vehicles.

The early church didn’t even have most of the New Testament.

It was simply a massive people movement that swept across the known world in such a victorious way as a counterculture that didn’t just become a part of the agenda…it became the agenda setter.

TRUTH

WHAT DID THEY HAVE THAT WE DON’T? I BELIEVE IT WAS AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT JESUS MEANT BY THE STATEMENT “I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH”

Matthew 16:16–19 (NASB95)

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

Upon this rock I will build My church.

“Church” is an English word that does not adequately describe what Jesus meant.

Jesus didn’t say “I will build my Temple” or “I will build my synagogue” either.

These were the two primary religious institutions of their day.

Upon this rock I will build My church.

Upon this rock I will build My EKKLESIA.

He used a SECULAR term, describing a GOVERNMENTAL institution on purpose. And His intention was to infuse elements of the existing religious institutions into this governmental one.

He wanted to take the dwelling presence of God from the Temple, and the central role of Scriptures, prayer, and fellowship from the Synagogue and integrate them into the Ekklesia.

Why? Because the Temple and Synagogue required and revolved around BUILDINGS. The Ekklesia did not.

The Temple and synagogue were STATIC institutions that functioned completely inside buildings that people had to go to on specific occasions.

The Ekklesia was a completely without buildings. It was a fully mobile movement of people designed to function 24/7 in the community and marketplace at large for the purpose of impacting everyone and everything in society.

THE ORIGIN OF EKKLESIA

Both Greek and Roman societies had versions of the ekklesia. The Roman ekklesia was called the Conventus Civium Romanorum, or Conventus for short.

Dr Ed Silvoso gives us in his book called Ekklesia some insight to the Roman itteration of the Greek ekklesia. According to Dr. Silvoso, Sir William Ramsay says this about the Roman Conventus. Sir William Mitchell Ramsay was an archaeologist, and a world class New Testament scholar. He sought out to disprove the New Testament as an atheist and converted to Christianity after he discovered how historically accurate it really was.

“When a group of Roman citizens as small as two or three gathered anywhere in the world, it constituted as conventus as a local expression of Rome. Even though geography separated them from the capital of the empire and the emperor, their coming together as fellow citizens automatically brought the power and presence of Rome into their midst. This was indeed the Roman ekklesia in a microcosm.” Sir Willliam Ramsay

When two or more Roman citizens connected, the laws, and protection of the emperor were in their midst. (See Acts 16 and 22 when Paul was going to be punished without due process and how concerned the Roman officials were about it).

APPLICATION

The IDENTITY of our COMMUNITY comes from Christ, and its IMPACT comes from the two or three GATHERED IN HIS NAME.

Matthew 18:18–20 (NASB95)

“Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

“For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

Acts 2:42–47 (NASB95)

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;

and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Jesus and the early church took an existing governmental structure, infused the Kingdom of God into it, and combined it with the primary social venue, the table, to form what we now call the church.

TAKING BACK THE TABLE

· Start with family mealtimes (consistent)

· Once established, expand the table to guests

· Every gathering…gather in Jesus name…with His purpose…to honor and glorify Him…and HE WILL BE IN YOUR MIDST

· This is how we move from ‘going to church’ to ‘BEING THE CHURCH’

· This is how we begin to truly evangelize and make disciples.

Acts 2:46-47 TPT Daily they met together in the temple courts and in one another’s homes to celebrate communion. They shared meals together with joyful hearts and tender humility. They were continually filled with praises to God, enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were coming to life.

The IDENTITY of our COMMUNITY comes from Christ, and it’s IMPACT comes from the two or three GATHERED IN HIS NAME.

LANDING

As we begin to walk in our identity of BEING the church…the Ekklesia…we must always realize that we do these things because Jesus first does them for us.

Psalm 23:1-4

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

IMAGERY SHIFTS FROM SHEPHERD TO HOST

Psalm 23:5-6

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.