The Vocation of the Church

What do we mean when we say “Church”

Referring to a Building? A Service?

A Gathering of Kingdom Agents — To Affirm what is true, to coordinate a movement, to instruct, to heal, to comfort and encourage

Where Grand cathedrals are meant to elevate one’s gaze to heaven.

The People of God are intended to display to love of Jesus and to extend the kingdom in practical ways. They are outposts of God’s occupying force.

When we talk of Church we must remember our calling to witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the Saviour, the rightful king and the Son of the Living God: Matt 16:18

Matthew 16:18 ESV

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The NT uses three images to describe the role of the church in the world: That of a Fellowship of Care and Vocation, that of the Body of Christ, and that of the Bride of Christ.

Sometimes we can get distracted by the imperfections of the church. It is important to acknowledge our flaws, but also to uphold the vision of what we are called to be.

The Church: A Fellowship of Disciples

The Church is not the building. It is the people. But its not just the people, it is the common purpose to which we are called: To Glorify Jesus. To express together the character of Jesus and so proclaim our witness in word and in deed.

There are some traditions in the church where inclusivity is the ultimate purpose. So committed are they to this value, that they even endorse pastors who are self-proclaimed atheists. I’m sorry but while they may seem to be a loving community they have lost their identity as the church.

There are other traditions that seek to protect the church from the world. Rather than engaging the world with the Gospel they cloister themselves off. They too have missed the point.

The Church of Christ has a purpose — to witness the Good News in Jesus. The Church is meant to be weird and discomforting.

In Acts 2 we learn of what characterized this fellowship:

Devoted to the Apostles Teaching: Jesus’ identity; death and resurrection. The Call to Repentance and faith in order to enter in.

Gathering together — for love feasts / shared meals / celebrating the Lord’s supper. The Early Church was a family that knew each other. They did life together — not just Sunday mornings.

The Prayers (Not just prayer, but the prayers) Precursors to Hours of Prayer (Distilled into MP/EP in our tradition)

The Wider Community Regarded the Church with Awe — because of the deeds of power being performed by the Apostles.

But also the nature of the community. Unity based not on race of class but on a common faith in Jesus, they were forming new communities. Communities that sought to alleviate the needs within the community. They regarded possessions as things held in common.

BTW this is happening today. The Simple Way in Philadelphia Shane Claiborne. Shared homes, cars and lawn mowers, transforming neighbourhoods — where people come to know and depend on one another.

It says the early church possessed the good will of the people.

Surveys that are very negative about the church, but very positive of the Christians known by the individual.

The Church — the Body of Christ

Theme in Judges: There was no King, everyone did what was right in their own eyes. The idea is that without a strong moral authority or even a strong vision people fall into individualism at the cost of community. What is right and good is what is good for me, regardless of the needs of anyone else.

The Church is to be communally minded.

Not uniform but united under the Lordship of Christ. One mind and heart

As members of one body we acknowledge that we are each part of something bigger than ourselves. We are interdependent with other disciples of Jesus.

When other members hurt we hurt. When members act in ways contrary to the will of our head, Jesus, we all suffer. When some rejoice all are joyful.

Together we pray “Thy will be done.” Which contrasts with a self-centred will that screams “My will be done!”

To be a follower of Jesus is to be a member of the body. This is awfully hard for introverts like me — but thems the facts. The Church is meant to be a source of encouragement, nourishment, and practical education in the Jesus Way.

The Church — the Bride of Christ

The fellowship. The Body. Now the Bride.

I sometimes grieve over weddings today. So much emphasis is placed on the ceremony and the reception that the marriage relationship is almost an afterthought. So much focus is placed on how things look that the beauty of the moment is sometimes missed.

Or

The night before our wedding the person who was supposed to do Kimberly’s hair quit. Kimberly was panicked at first but then grateful as it gave her an opportunity to be alone and to pray before the ceremony. It allowed her to enter the right headspace, to be more fully present.

Revelation 19:7 NIV

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

I love how in several places in the Gospel salvation, God’s endgame for creation is a wedding. A union between God in Jesus and His rescued & Restored creation — the Church.

What is the best way for the church to beatify herself for the groom?

It is by living in accordance with the will of Christ. It goes on to say in Rev. 19:8

Revelation 19:8 ESV

it was granted [to the church] to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

It is to do justice. To love mercy. And to walk humbly with our God. It is to grow up in Christlikeness by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is to resume humanity’s original calling to be image bearers of God in creation.

This is what makes us beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.

For some of us marriage imagery may be difficult. So another way we can go about the process of beautification is simply to ask God how we might put a smile on His face. How we could bring delight to our loving creator.

There is nothing more uplifting then when you delight the one you love.

The Church

The Church Is God’s means to invade this world with His righteous love and beauty

God works with cracked pots and so we often fail to reflect his standards and character as well as we should. Hurt people hurt people. But we are called to be the kind of presence in this world that models the Grace and mercy of God in our relationship to one another.

Pray to God that our failings would not blind us to the beauty and mystery of the Church.

We are called to be an intimate fellowship of people, sharing life, practicing the teachings of Jesus, and the rhythms of prayer and sacrament. We are called to an intimacy that transcends race or class in order to live out our common faith and goal in Jesus

We are the Body of Christ, called to use our diverse gifts and temperaments to exercise the will of our King in this world.

We are called to beautify ourselves by living in accordance with the heart of God. Asking how might I delight my Lord this day, this moment?

When you became a follower of Jesus you joined a movement not a club. And that movement, empowered by the Spirit, proclaims the Good news of Jesus, and invites their world to turn to him in repentance through our actions and in our proclamation.