Ecclesiology - Equip Nights

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Ecclesiology - CityLight Young Adults Equip Nights

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Opening Discussion Questions:

How would you define “the Church?”

What distinguishes church from other social gatherings and community groups?

Is the church a local gathering, or is it the entirety of Christians all over the world?

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Ekklesia from the word “ekkaleo”

"to call out"

implying a group (gathering or assembly) of people who are called out or summoned for a specific purpose, particularly for worship and fellowship.

Iglesia – Spanish based languages.

The Greek word "κυριακός" (kyriakos) – then Circe (seersay) à Old English (Cheerchay), church…, meaning "of the Lord" or "belonging to the Lord," is used in the New Testament, though not frequently. It appears in two notable instances:

1 Corinthians 11:20: "When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat." ("κυριακὸν δεῖπνον" - kyriakon deipnon)

Revelation 1:10: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet." ("ἐν τῇ κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ" - en tē kyriakē hēmera)

If you combine these two ideas, you get what we have today. The Church. A group of people, who are called out, summoned for a specific purpose, and that purpose is to glorify God. “It’s the gathering of people who are called for the Lord.”

The Church began with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). - The gift of the Holy Spirit marks the beginning of the Church. The moment God sent His spirit to indwell all believers, is the moment the church was born.

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The Church is made up of two parts, the Invisible Church and the Visible Church.

Augustine: He spoke of the "church invisible" as the body of true believers known only to God and the "church visible" as the institutional church seen by humans, which includes both true believers and hypocrites.

Calvin: The invisible church as the "true" church, consisting of all the elect, known only to God. This church is universal and includes believers from all times and places. The visible church is the outward manifestation of the church. It includes all who profess faith in Christ and participate in the sacraments, whether or not they are truly regenerate.

So the Invisible Church is the “body of true believers known only to God.” All true Christians, all over the world, past, present, and future.

The Visible Church is the “outward manifestation of the church” that is seen by the world. CityLight, Falls Church Anglican, McLean Bible Church: these are all examples of the Visible Church.

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Quickly want to point out…

Because the visible church is what the world sees, it can include people who don’t truly know the Lord.

- Matthew 7… Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

- So there are very likely a good amount of people who attend church services, thinking they are Christian, but not really doing the will of the Father. They’re not truly regenerated, not true believers.

- The Invisible Church, in contrast, is only true believers. Only God knows who’s included in that group, but everyone who is is truly Christian and will enter the kingdom of heaven.

- The visible church is BIGGER than the Invisible church, because some people don’t actually know the Lord.

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To summarize: The Visible Church is the essential, tangible expression of the invisible church, through which believers receive the sacraments and are nurtured in their faith, despite the presence of those who may not be truly regenerate.

Our job, as Christians, as members of the Invisible Church is to grow the visible church, so that more people will see the glory of God and become part of the invisible church.

So we, as a physical church body (the visible church), do what we can to share the love of God with people, that they might receive Christ in their hearts and be adopted as children of God and welcomed into the kingdom of heaven.

So how does this happen? THROUGH THE LOCAL CHURCH.

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The Visible Church is comprised of various local church bodies.

Here are seven churches in Northern Virginia. (Falls Church Anglican (just down the road), Burke Community Church (Burke), Grace Covenant Church, CityLight (yours truly), McLean (Tysons), Fairfax Church (off Braddock Rd), Immanuel Bible Church (Springfield)

BTW… I’m not endorsing these churches by using them as an example, I just chose them because they are well-known in the region. If you want church recommendations, well, CityLight, duh. But if you don’t feel at home here, come talk to me, or Pastor John, and we can help you find a solid church to get plugged into.

These are different local churches who each have a particular mission and vision to reach the community, in which they exist, for the glory of God.

For example: CityLight’s Vision and Mission (straight from the basic training booklet):

Our passion is to shine the light of Christ in dark and hard places to bring real hope and help to all people. Our vision is to bring light to the world by planting “community center” churches that are well equipped to be a blessing to local communities both spiritually and physically. We aim to pursue a holistic ministry (Luke 4:16-21; Isa. 61:1-4) that intends for Sundays to be a launching pad, not a landing place.

But what’s the overall mission of the church?

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Navs Motto (parachurch organization): “To know Christ and make Him known and to help others do the same.”

- I think if there was one mission statement that every local church could share, it would be something like that one.

o We’re all made in the Image of God, and the goal of the church is to collectively and accurately display God to the world. To be a healthy picture of God to the world.

o This is a great motto, it’s fitting for all churches. But just because the Navigators have this mission (this motto) doesn’t make it a church.

- The Navigators is not a church.It’s called a parachurch ministry, which means it comes alongside the local church to help propel forward the mission of God.

- Another example is that I’m in seminary right now. A seminary is not the local church, but it comes alongside the church to equip people for ministry in the local church to propel forward the mission of God.

- The Christian ministry you’re involved with at college, that is not a church. There are specific things required for a group to meet the biblical standard of a church.

o They’re great things, and many of its participants are part of the Invisible Church.

o But those ministries, in and of themselves, are not visible church we’re talking about.

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What constitutes a Church?

A church must have a biblical model of leadership, worship, and administration of the ordinances.

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A church is lead by a plurality of elders.

The word elders doesn’t simply mean older people, like “Respect your elders.”

It doesn’t even mean, at its most fundamental level “highly respected people in the church.”

Elder is a biblically loaded term.

- The term "elder," in the biblical sense, is derived from the Greek word "presbyteros," which means overseer. (1 Timothy 3) And it encapsulates the ideas of spiritual maturity, leadership, shepherding, and teaching.

- Titus uses another word (Ch 1), “episkopos,” which not only means elders but also pastors.

- In the case of CityLight, each of our pastors is an Elder, and Pastor Nate is the Presiding Elder. He is the senior pastor, senior leader, overseer of other elders/pastors.

That is the biblical model of church leadership.

There is a plurality of elders, not just one, although one will, in most cases, be the presiding elder, or the senior pastor.

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2 Thessalonians 2:15 says, “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.”

- What this indicates is that for us to understand what church should include, we have to look back at the history of the church.

When you do that, you find that the early church, which should be the model of a church for us (to an extent)… had weekly, in-person gatherings that include the preaching and teaching of the Word, consecration, prayer, and praise.

Weekly preaching and teaching: Acts 20:7 -- On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

The church is meant to be holy (Col. 1:22; Eph. 5:25-27; Phil. 2:15), and as such, its members must be consecrated and set apart for a holy purpose (Eph. 2:10), to glorify God.

Consecration through confession of sins, prayer, supplication, and praise.

- Church isn’t just a thing you come to and leave. It’s participatory. This is why Pastor Nate puts such a large emphasis on having you mark a moment. To come to the alter and pray to God, to come up to someone on the prayer team and ask prayer or confess sin, etc.

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Administration of the ordinances:

Both Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are acts of obedience that point to a believer’s saving faith in Jesus Christ, and historically, they are a marker of the local church.

Baptism is the initial public act in a believer’s corporate faith. It symbolizes the believer’s sharing in Christ’s death and resurrection to new life with Him (Col. 2:12-14).

- Baptism is also the act that initiates a person into a united fellowship of baptized believers (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27).

- It happens only once. You don’t get baptized every time you move and start attending a local church.

The Lord’s Supper is a believer’s recurring public participation in the work of Jesus Christ. It is the symbolic reenactment of His death, and it allows partakers to reflect on the work of Christ and the implications of this work on their lives as Christians.

- It also provides the church with an opportunity for disciplinary action.

- The church can withhold the Lord’s Supper from church members who are unrepentant of their sins. (1 Cor 5).

So now that we know what constitutes a church, what does the local church do? Well, let’s look at the Scripture that The Navs’ motto is based on:

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What constitutes a Church?

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

1. Make Disciples – share the love of God and lead people to Christ

2. Baptize Disciples – initiate new believers into the Church (and a local church)

3. Teach Disciples – equip them to repeat the process

So what does that mean?

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Make Disciples

- Through Evangelism

o Sharing the Gospel, which is the answer to everybody’s deepest need.

o Nobody, not a single person in the world, is not in need of the Gospel.

- Through Service

o Meeting people’s “felt” needs.

§ Felt needs are the needs that individuals or groups perceive and are aware of themselves.

§ For example, somebody might not know they need Jesus in their lives, but they probably know they need to eat because they haven’t had anything all day. Or that they need money to pay the rent. Etc.

o Meeting people’s felt needs provides an avenue to meet people’s deepest need with the Gospel by sharing the love of Christ through action.

Baptize Disciples:

- Not only does it symbolize the new believer’s sharing in Christ’s death and resurrection to new life with Him (Col. 2:12-14).

- Baptism is also the act that initiates a person into a united fellowship of baptized believers (1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27).

- Baptism is reserved only for those who agree with the baptismal confession belonging to the local church in which he or she is being baptized, to include a thorough understanding and belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

o The Didache, also known as "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles," is an early Christian treatise (~AD 50 – AD 150) that provides instructions on ethics, rituals, and church organization, serving as a manual for Christian living and community practice.

§ The Didache teaches the early church to instruct believers in the ways of Christian living prior to baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This baptismal confession ensures that those being baptized share a faith aligned with the orthodox beliefs of the universal Church.

Teach Disciples:

Collective hearing of the word – the pastor breaks down the word of God so that the members of the church can understand it clearly and apply it to their lives for the glory of God.

Participation in the Ordinances – the church teaches the significance of these things. Every Sunday, we take communion, but beforehand the pastors say something like, “This is only for Christians; if you are not a Christian, we ask that you refrain from receiving communion and instead receive Christ.”

Fellowship, Edification, and Discipleship – all with the purpose of growing one another into the likeness of Christ.

- We’re all in this together.

- We’re all one body, and every single one of us is consequential.

- There are no vestigial organs in the church. Each of us contributes to the corporate sanctification through our personal sanctification.

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So what should we expect once we are part of a local church?

You serve: 1 Peter 4:10-11 (NIV): "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."

You give: 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV): "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Acts 2:42-47 “42They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles. 44All who believed were together and held everything in common, 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. 46 Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts, 47 praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.”

You get rooted: Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV): "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

You grow: Colossians 1:9-10 (NIV): "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God."

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What should you do?

Baptism/Membership…

- If you’re a Christian and you haven’t been baptized before, do it. What are you waiting for? You may have been a Christian for years already (it took me 8 years to work up the courage to be baptized – don’t be like me). Make that public declaration.

o If you’re interested in learning more about b

- If you’ve been coming to CityLight for a while now, and you consider this church your home church. I want to ask you to become a member. Part of that requires you to be baptized.

- Hey, we love that you come here to CityLight on Tuesday nights, and this is in no means me trying to get rid of you. But I want to ask you. If you don’t consider CityLight your home church, what is stopping you from getting involved in your home church? Or helping to start up a young adult ministry at your home church?

Join a Lighthouse

- This is our small group ministry. We have about 20 groups, we even have a group that meets on the George Mason campus during the school year. They’re designed to help you apply the truths of the Bible to your lives alongside other people who are trying to do the exact same thing.

- This is probably one of the most important ministries in the church, and if you’re not involved in one, I think I can confidently say that you’re missing out. It’s a great way to experience the church body for what it is supposed to be.

Lead a Lighthouse

- We only have 20 Lighthouses. We need more!

- If you’ve been around CityLight for a while, and you think you might be open to learning more about what it might look for you and a partner to lead a group together, I want to teach you.

- We need servant leaders to step into these roles for the sake of all the people who would like to join a group but can’t because some of them already have 20+ people in them, or all of the current ones are too far from where they live, etc.

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QR Code for the Membership Class… Basic Training (August 18 during the 11am service, in the coworking space)

Baptism Class – Pastor John on August 25. You don’t have to sign up, just show up. If you want more info, come talk to me or Pastor John.

Join a Lighthouse: I’m the Lighthouse Director, so just come talk to me! I’ll give you all the info you need and help you try to find a group that fits your needs!

Lead a Lighthouse: QR code to sign up for the training. Two sessions (need to attend both). Just because you go doesn’t mean you HAVE to become a leader. But you’ll learn the heart behind that ministry, and you’ll be qualified to lead. (That said, if you want to become a Lighthouse Leader, you need to be a member of the church, so if you’re not, go through Basic Training, become a member, then attend the Lighthouse Leader training.)

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Closing Discussion Questions:

How has your perspective of “the Church” changed after learning more about Ecclesiology?

Our generation(s) find it difficult to grow deep roots in a community. Why do you think it is so easy for us to hesitate when it comes to “diving in?”

Consider your personal involvement with the local church. Do you think you participate in the church in the way it was designed by God to be?

Would you share with your table one way you would like to grow in your relationship to the local church?