The Mission of a Truly Catholic Church

Introduction

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but when we hear the word catholic, we immediately think of the so-called Roman Catholic Church which is the religious-political structure of the papacy. This brings confusion to some Christians when they read the Apostle’s Creed which says, I believe in…one holy catholic church. It is only relatively recently that Protestants have given up this historic word catholic. None of the Protestant Reformers called the structure of the papacy the catholic church. It is a misnomer, like Jehovah’s Witnesses who are certainly not witnesses of Jehovah. Instead, the reformers argued that they were interested in preserving the true catholic church, and that the pope was the one who had departed from it. Catholic means universal, and means to communicate the entire church all over the world wherever and however it exists.

This evening, our interest is to look into Paul’s view of a truly catholic church. Although Paul doesn’t use the word catholic, the concept of a universal and globally united Church is very much in Paul’s mind, and it is this that we want to explore and learn from.

In this personal note which Paul writes as he is bringing this epic epistle to a close, although he is not seeking to give a theological thesis here, we see the global view Paul has for the church. This not only gives him a great desire and affection for a church he has never visited before, but also causes him to see them as part of the larger mission of the Church in which he has his ministry.

From this, we see that the purpose of our unity with the entire church, which we may call the true catholic church, is to represent Christ in a united body to a world full of division, strife, and conflict. While erasing denominational lines is impossible, and I would argue unnecessary, we must recognize that our similarities are much greater than our differences, and a humble attitude towards other Christians is how the mission of the Church will ultimately succeed and Christ will be glorified in us.

Paul’s Desires and Plans to Visit

Verse 22 begins our text and makes it clear that Paul’s intention in our text is a personal note of explanation for his delay in coming to visit them. It is important to him that they do not misunderstand his delay as a sign of his lack of affection for them. Instead, Paul makes it clear that his work in Greece and Asia Minor had been keeping him.

As much as he longs to be with the Roman Church, his ministry is paramount. This is the task given to him by Christ through the laying on of hands in Jerusalem. This is the work for which he, in his weakness, has been empowered by Christ to fulfill his mission. As much as he would like to visit, he had to put his work first. He assumes that the Christians in Rome will understand that his calling in Christ must be his primary goal.

Nevertheless, it is clear the passion and desire Paul has for this church. He certainly would not have taken the time to write at such length if they were not important to him. As we already saw, his concern for this church stems from his calling to bring the Gospel to the nations beyond Israel. Rome, as the centre of the world at the time, was an important place of witness for Christ, and so the Roman Church must be well-established not only for their witness in the city, but to be a beacon of light to the rest of the gentile world.

However, Paul’s calling is to those who have not yet heard. Rom 15:20

Romans 15:20 ESV

and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,

So while he does indeed sense a responsibility for this church, his work elsewhere took priority over visiting them. So while he found it important to write at length to them and to let them know his absence is not a sign of indifference towards them, he expects them to have the maturity to put their personal feelings aside in light of the greater work to which both he and they are called to.

Paul Detained by Business

But what was it exactly that was keeping Paul? Although the book of Acts is not exhaustive in recounting Paul’s experiences, we are able to pinpoint when he most likely wrote this letter; the account of Paul leaving Asia Minor after visiting Macedonia on his way to Jerusalem recounted by Luke in Acts 20.

We can put a few details together. Although Acts doesn’t mention the offering Paul refers to here in verse 26, it does recount Paul’s last journey to Jerusalem. This offering is also mentioned in 2 Corinthians, giving us the idea that Romans was written some time after 2 Corinthians where Paul had yet to visit them and collect their offering.

This offering is not insignificant. Rom 15:27

Romans 15:27 (ESV)

For they (the churches in Macedonia and Achaia) were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them (the church in Jerusalem). For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

This is calling back to Paul’s teaching on God’s plan for the Jews and Gentiles in chapter 11. Through the faithfulness of the Jewish believers, including Paul himself, who spread the Gospel to the world, the Gentiles have come to know God through Christ. There is no better gift that could be given, and so when the church in Jerusalem is suffering because of some unexplained disaster and are impoverished, the Gentile Churches leap at the opportunity to express their union and gratitude by supplying them with their needs. This is the offering that Paul is taking with him to Jerusalem before he returns to the mission field.

Here we see the principle of catholicity at work. These gentile churches did not see themselves as isolated from the church at large, even from a church across the sea who sent missionaries to bring them the gospel of life. They saw the responsibility they had to show love to them as brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless of not knowing them personally. It’s clear that Paul expected Churches to care about each other, even from other sides of the world.

“Strive together with Me”

Now another problem arises in the story of Paul’s fateful trip to Jerusalem. As he is about to leave Ephesus, where he very well might have written this letter to the Romans, he tells the elders in Acts 20:22

Acts 20:22 ESV

And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there,

Paul sensed that persecution of some form was waiting for him in Jerusalem, likely both through prophetic revelation and logical deduction. The unbelieving Jews had been following him all over the world trying to tear down his ministry among the Jews living in those areas and often stirring up mobs against him. He even expected this to be true in Rome, however when he would eventually reach Rome he would find that the Jews there had heard nothing about him.

Nevertheless, we can see this expectation of hardship in Jerusalem in verses 30-32. He asks the Roman Christians to strive in prayer, that is to pray with great effort and vigor. The content of these prayers is two things: first that he may be delivered out of the hands of the unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem, and second that his service there would be sufficient for him to leave once again.

The next trip Paul had planned was to go to Spain, but he would then pass through Rome and spend some time there on his way. Again, Paul is committed to his calling to plant churches in the unreached parts of the world. Rome is not his ultimate destination in mind, although it would be in reality. Instead, he would stop in Rome for mutual encouragement and refreshment so that he may be empowered by them for his new work, and they by him in his Apostolic ministry. Again, we see an obvious view of the purpose and unity of the Church. Although Paul’s home church was Jerusalem, since they were the ones who sent him out, visiting this church would bring edification to everyone involved so that the church may be a more steadfast beacon of gospel light in the gentile world and so that he may be equipped by their loving support to go into a fresh mission field. The unity of the church exists to bring glory to Christ, and so Christian unity and fellowship is never an end in itself, but rather the way in which the Church fulfills its mission in Christ in expectation of his coming.

However, things would not go as planned. On arriving at Jerusalem, a mob of murderous unbelieving Jews would be waiting, causing him to be put into custody by the Roman authorities. By eventually appealing to Caesar as a Roman citizen, Paul would eventually be put on his way to Rome after all. The prayers of this church would be answered, though in an unexpected way as Paul would not arrive as a free missionary, but as a Roman prisoner.

The book of Acts does not finish the story, likely because Luke had written the events up to the date on which he sent his account to the recipient Theophilus. What we do know is that Paul stayed in Rome for 2 years under house arrest. He was able to witness to the Jews in Rome and some of them believed. It is clear that for those 2 years he was allowed visitors, so there is no doubt that the Christians at Rome to whom he had written were able to fellowship with him freely before his eventual execution traditionally under Emperor Nero. The warm affection they had for each other, though they had never met, would finally be expressed face to face; a picture of the warm welcome all believers will receive by those already in heaven whom they have never before met and yet are so happy to see.

Conclusion: A Pauline View of a Catholic Church

As only personal greetings are left in this book, Paul leaves the Roman Church on a note of hope in future fellowship and a commitment to the universal mission of Christ expressed in the obedience of his Church. Missions and church unity, we see, are closely related topics. Missions exists as the expression of Christ’s authority on earth before his final, glorious coming. Unity is necessary in order for Christ’s body to act effectively and efficiently. William Carey, the famous baptist missionary to India in the late 18th century, was a very convinced baptist. However, he often partnered with Anglican ministers in India in what he was as a common mission they both had. In fact, he took a teaching job in an Anglican school where he was underpaid simply because he was not Anglican, and yet he served there because he saw the greater goal of instructing Indian children in the truth as worth the sacrifice in order to establish unity in the mission he had.

In this text, we have seen:

Paul’s desire to visit Rome, a Church he had never met before, which shows a commitment to the larger work of the Church. Paul had the affections of a family to brothers and sisters he had never met because he saw them as united to Christ, and therefore united to himself for the same work he was doing. Although we are not all called to be foreign missionaries like Paul was, we are all called to the common calling of reaching the lost with the Gospel. In this exists true unity and fellowship.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul often uses the word sunergomai, ‘fellow workers’ to describe the Christians in Phillipi. They were not just another Church to him, but were his fellow workers in the harvest field of Christ. There must be unity and a striving together for the work if there is to be fruit. It must be clear that the mission is the same, and a division may be caused when a church looses its way either in doctrine or practice, but the ideal here is a common labour together with all the Christians around the world for the glory of Christ in the spread of his Gospel. Paul was committed to global missions and a desire for partnership from this church for the end of completing Christ’s work as God’s chosen King. The Church exists united to be the means by which the Kingdom of Heaven conquers all the world. Often, the best fellowship exists between Christians who are labouring together, whether it be in prayer, evangelism, or services of love to both Christians and non-Christians.

Paul’s obligation to bring the offerings from Macedonia and Achaia to Jerusalem shows his belief in inter-church support and love. It is clear that for Paul, the church is not an island. While Baptists do not believe in a hierarchical structure of authority beyond the local church, that has often bled into an isolationist attitude. Just because we are not under the authority of a magisterium of some kind does not mean we are to go it alone. Fellowship and common work with other Christians, even from other denominations if possible, is necessary for us to complete the mission we are given. Churches that isolate cease to be profitable for the Kingdom and often fall apart in the process.

Application:

It is important that our desire for unity and an ecumenical relationship with different churches fits within the spectrum of the Gospel. If we are not united in the Gospel we preach, what is there to be united with? This is why it is so important for us to discern the difference between a primary and secondary doctrine. I haven’t been teaching this just because its interesting. It has a vital application for us.

If we open our arms to wide, we may compromise our Christian witness by uniting with those who do not share the same Gospel. While I believe there are true believers existing in Roman Catholic Churches, I do not believe the Pope stands for the truth of the Gospel and so I could not partner with a Roman Catholic Church in evangelism, for example. Such a partnership would not only be shallow but it would make it next to impossible to deliver the Gospel clearly and truthfully.

However, if our lens is too narrow we will loose the benefit of working together with other members of the body of Christ. Such narrow evangelistic measure will not be very fruitful, and we will soon die in our own isolation along with our witness.

Look at the Great Awakening of the 18th century, as I was talking to the brothers about earlier. George Whitfield, an Anglican preacher who had his preaching license revoked as he was stepping up to the pulpit, went outside the church and preached in the front yard. Thus began a ministry in which he partnered with Anglicans, early Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists, and Presbyterians, all for the sake of the Gospel. How God mightily used that man to not only bring tens of thousands to Christ, but to change the flow of western culture and civilization. He didn’t care who he was partnered with as long as they held to the same saving gospel which had so deeply affected him.

Imagine what use we could be for the Kingdom of God today, in the midst of such a divisive and polarized culture, if we decided to make the main thing the main thing when it came to our work for Christ in this world? This is not to say that issues such as baptism and Calvinism are not important, I would be the first to declare how important they are. But the unity of the work Christ has given us to do in his power is beyond those issues and centres on building his church through the conversion of souls.

Remember that it is our union with Christ that makes this so. If we are united in Christ, who can tear us apart? You may have many disagreements with a sibling, but it does not spoil your love or loyalty for each other. Two soldiers in war may, in a quite moment, discuss their political differences, but when the shelling starts they are there for each other because the fate of their homes lie at stake. We are one in Christ with all of those who have come to know Him by faith. Let us not forget that, but rather let it fuel both an affection for them and a zeal for the work we are all called to do.

Let us then commit ourselves to a truly catholic church. We are not an island here at FBC; we are part of a larger flock of Christ’s sheep. Some of them have serious disagreements with us, but all of them look to Jesus Christ alone for salvation by grace through faith. Many worship in ways that are different from how our services look, due to culture and tradition, but all worship the same Lord. While heretical groups exist, let this not keep us from a gospel-centred ecumenical approach to other churches, seeing each fellow Christian as a fellow worker whom we can help and be helped by in our own service of Jesus Christ and in the spread of his Kingdom.