Conclusion: Christian with a Church

Matthew 16:18 CSB

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

INTRO—

1961…among the best of historic speeches in the history of our country…President Kennedy called for an important commitment from his fellow Americans. Some of us here today heard that call on that cold January day in 1961. Others of us have seen the video or read the text of that historic address in which that newly inaugurated President concluded his speech by saying,

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.”

2024…and so, this week and next, as we have reached the conclusion of our time in the study, Rediscover Church; I am convinced that the road of renewal and refocus which lies before us as a church requires a similar mindset from us as a church,

“And so my Claycomo Baptist Church brothers and sisters: ask not what your church can do for you—ask what you can do for your church.”

The title the authors of this book gave to their conclusion is,

“You don’t get the church you want, but something better.”

…imperfect people…perfect provision. Like a modern rendition of a song from my child hood says,

“We are so weak, but our God, he is strong.”

For us, this means we MUST call each other to a couple of important commitments as we seek to proceed forward as a church renewed and refocused. The first of these commitments is…

SELFLESS SERVICE

This mindset sets us in significant contrast to a prevailing wind in modern church life,

“When the going gets tough, get going shopping.”

…in the conclusion of Rediscover Church, the authors invest time saying, “Don’t Go Shopping.”

The need to ‘rediscover church’ didn’t arrive with a pandemic or hyper-partisanship in 2020 (p. 142). Sadly, many modern conveniences make the commitment of consistent service a challenge:

Online Worship (TV broadcast services…)

Automobile (makes accountability and discipline a challenge)

[[Overly individualistic approach to living a Christian life.]]

What God wants for us (p. 143)…

We—individually and as a church—want to hear:

Matthew 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’”

We need to live:

Philippians 2:3–7 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man,”

(P. 143) — “If we want loving unity in the church, then we must follow the same path of self-denial [as in Philippians 2]…I (Collin) know a pastor who often says that no one gets the church they want. But everyone gets the church they need. We all need churches that call us to something greater than ourselves. We need churches that call us finally to God. When we follow the example of Jesus, we get the church we need.”

We must commit ourselves to lives (a life together) of selfless service. [Not sitting on ready for pulling the ‘church shopping trigger’ at any moment.] Our second commitment: we must commit ourselves to seeing the church (our church) as…

A FORMATIVE INSTITUTION

A prevalent mindset today, which our authors point out, is the tendency to ‘leverage’ institutions—like family, work, school, & church—to achieve our personal goals of attention and acceptance (p. 143).

“Once we get what we want, or the institution asks us for something we don’t want to give, we can discard it and move on to another target. Get a new job. Get a new family. Get a new school.”

I imagine that the most visceral reaction many of us had to that list was the emphasis on “a new family.” Let’s take that feeling and apply it to our family of faith, our church.

God has…[pp. 145-146]:

1 Peter 2:4–10 “As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God—you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected— this one has become the cornerstone, and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Given us the church (our church) built on the foundation of Jesus (v. 6)

[[Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore the Lord God said: “Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable.”; also, Matthew 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”]]

Told us not everyone will treasure Jesus (vv. 7-8)

[[Psalm 118:22 “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”; Isaiah 8:14 “He will be a sanctuary; but for the two houses of Israel, he will be a stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”]]

Told us he is building something beautiful—us, the church (vv. 4-5, 9-10)

[[Sooo AWESOME!!]]

(P. 144) “You may not get the church you wanted. But you get the church you never knew you needed.”

“They will stand behind you at your best, stand next to you at your worst, and stand in front of you at your most vulnerable.” [Includes loving you enough to tell you the truth— not just affirming you and every decision you make.]

CONCL—

I wonder how many people, hearing President Kennedy’s inaugural address took the time to do what he recommended. How many in that moment or the days immediately following asked themselves, “What can I do for my country?”

This week, I ask all of us to give this question— “What can I do for my church’s refocus and renewal?” I am eager to hear what we are seeking our Lord to do in and through us ‘for the sake of his kingdom…his name…his church.’

This challenge is so cool, because I just have to agree with Hansen and Leeman, it’s amazing to think about this fact:

(PP. 146-147) “That’s a lot going on in your little ol’ church when the sound system doesn’t work, you’re meeting in a parking deck because you’re not safe from disease inside, the kids are whining for food, Sister Bethel snore through the benediction, Brother Jim posted something dumb on Facebook, and the pastor put in a C+ effort on sermon prep because he had a funeral and three unexpected hospital visits. When you rediscover church, you’ll see the beauty where much of the world sees only rocks.”

INVITATION:

Salvation

Selfless Service (Center)

Formative Family (Institution)

1 Peter 2:9–10 CSB

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.