I believe in the holy catholic church, the communion of saints.lecture

Introduction

I was in my doctoral work and one of the plenary presentations was a church planting movement called Fresh Expressions.....

What constitutes a church?

Well before we can understand what the creed is getting at, we need a little biblical work to paint the picture. We need to ask what is a theology of the church, what does the bible say about the church? I wish Paul sat down and wrote out a manual on his church planting and what a church is to be. But we can do a survey and learn from what the bible says:

Ekklesia: the called out ones

The greek word that is mostly translated to church in the new testament is ekklesia. Think of Jesus speaking to Peter in that conversation of, who do people say that I am? Upon the correct answer Jesus tells disciples and specifically Peter, it is upon you that I will build my church. So what is the biblical understanding of church?

OT perspective:

Now the way we look back into the old testament and see when a similar understanding comes through is by something called the septuagint. The septuagint is the greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. So where the greek word ekklesia shows up in the septuagint would show us where in the Hebrew bible a similar idea would be present.

Now, in the OT the idea of church is refers to many different things:

OT Perspective

the gathered people to receive the law in Joshua 8

or the assembled people of God used several times of Deuteronomy…literally referring to “the assembly of the Lord”

Or even God’s people called together for battle in Judges 21

Or gathered to receive God’s message from King David

The new testament has a diversity of usages as well:

The New Testament:

1. People of God, especially when they are gathered together

1 Corinthians 11:18 NIV

18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.

2. Group of Christians living in one place.... as in the “church at Ephesus”

3. Or house assemblies of Christians, like in Acts where people were meeting in homes under the care of disciples named Priscilla and Aquilla.

So what is the ekklesia?

So what is common in all of these, because they are so basic? Well I think two things that will help us consider the ekklesia of Church in general and Marvin in specific:

Identity and Mission

Identity and mission are what we can pull out of all of this.

Identity: The church’s identity is primarily and wholly based on the truth that we are called by God

First, the identity was primarily and wholly based on this truth…that they were called by God.

the root word for ekklesia, is Kaleo…yeah you are getting your greek in. It means Called. Ekklesia quite literally means the ones assembled that were called by God.

the identity of these groups had nothing to do with what the people looked like, where they met, who their specific leader was, where they had rock and roll worship band or choral and incense, identity was not based on how nice they were (though they should be), or how great their missions was or childcare and children’s ministries....the identity began with those people are called by God. Individually and collectively they are a community that has seen God and is responding to God.

This means that FMC (or any church) is not a support group, though we provide support. Not a social club, though you will undoubtedly make friends here, it is not a non-profit, a political club…we boldly and confidently stake our claim on this truth....we are an assembly that has been called by God. Nothing else has the power of transforming the world because God is not a part of it.

Mission: The church is built and shaped by a shared purpose

the other thing we get from the biblical understanding of ekklesia is that they shared a purpose, God’s purpose.

The only time in the gospels that Jesus speaks and this word ekklesia shows up is in Matthew. When Jesus tells the 12 and Peter that it is upon them that he will build his church he is declaring the calling to “become a light to the nations, that God’s salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Is. 49:6)

NT Wright:

The church exists, in other words, for what we sometimes call “mission”: to announce to the world that Jesus is its Lord. This is the “good news,” and when it’s announced it transforms people and societies. Mission, in its widest as well as its more focused senses, is what the church is there for. God intends to put the world to rights; he has dramatically launched this project through Jesus. Those who belong to Jesus are called, here and now, in the power of the Spirit, to be agents of that putting-to-rights purpose. -NT Wright

The word “mission” comes from the Latin for “send”: “As the father sent me,” said Jesus after his resurrection, “so I am sending you” (John 20:21).

In what sense is the church holy?

Called a part, presence of God, mission

trinity

How is the church catholic (universal)?

Microcosm of a universal human society

Rich and poor

male and female

jew and gentile

slave and free (Gal 3:26-28)

Catholic message (translatability)

Catholic in response to the human plight

Ephesians 4:1–6 NIV

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

What is the communion of Saints?

To be included in the circle of followers of Jesus. We share the holy waters and the holy meal and the holy stories with all those that go before us.

The first recorded martyr, Stephen, and John in exile with the vision of revelation, and Perpetua (nursing mother who boldly faced martyrdom in the third century, and Augustine who was one of the greatest Christian minds in the history of the church, and the reformers, Christian slaves baptized on slave plantations, courageous missionaries taking the gospel to unreached people, family members generations before us, the founders of First Methodist Conroe

Origen:

The Apostles’ Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism “The Communion of Saints”

Jesus is always being falsely accused, and there is never a time when he is not being accused.… He is still silent in the face of this and does not answer with his own voice. But he makes his defense in the lives of his genuine disciples, for their lives cry out the real facts and defeat all false charges.