Why Does the Church Exist HCH?

Intro

Several months ago, the comedian Druski released a skit that set the American church ablaze. Some of ya’ll saw this. In this skit, Druski was using satire to address some obvious problems in the mega church culture of the American church. Druski played the part of a mega church pastor who was far more concerned with influence, entertainment, money, and brand, than he was with being a faithful leader in Christ’s church.

There was one scene in the skit where I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It’s after the church service, and Druski is pulling out of the parking lot in his Bentley. A member of the church stops him and says, “I need you to pray for my wife.” And Druski, playing the part of this pastor, says, “Did you give your tithes today?” The man says no. Druski responds and says, “Back up then man.” And he drives off.

This painfully hilarious skit set off a storm within the church. Some said that Druski went too far, that it was blasphemy to portray the church in this way. Yet others responded, and this is where I’m at, they said you know, good comedy holds up a mirror for us to see ourselves. So if Druski’s skit makes you uncomfortable, or even angry, maybe he’s showing you some things about yourself that you don’t like.

Because the thing about the Druski skit is, he wasn’t just taking a stab at the pastors on stage who are manipulating and toxic and power hungry. Drusky was pointing fingers at the church at large, all of us. That’s why multiple scenes in the skit show crowds in a church building clamoring after the pastor, applauding him, getting caught up in his spectacle. Druski was saying, if anyone should take responsibility for this nonsense, its not just the pastors. It’s all of us, for creating the demand for this kind of church.

Manipulative, power hungry churches wouldn’t exist unless we wanted them to. We crave the spectacle. We want to be close to power. And so we turn church into a show for performers who get rich off the pain and trauma in the audience.

This problem is nothing new, of course. As rapper KB says in his new song TOO UNFAZED, “I saw that Druski skit back in 08. They love God for content but we are not the same. If churches play with God don’t be shocked when the world turns around and do the same. I love the church, but there are way too many narcissists on stage.”

But this problem isn’t 20 years old either. No, there seems to be something baked into American Christianity where we just love a good show. We love the way personality cults make us feel. Listen to this.

Over a century ago, the Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper visited the United States for a few weeks before returning home. After his visit, Kuyper wrote a stinging rebuke about what he experienced as church in this country. This is what he said:

“It is quite common in America, especially in larger cities, for a minister to start his own church, and run that church as an independent business, without any connection to the historic church. Such a church is nothing other than a circle gathering around a talented speaker.”

He went on elsewhere saying that when this happens within a church, they develop a spirit of “false competition” with other churches. They are now competing with other congregations for the most members. Because of that, they are no longer concerned with genuine discipleship or teaching people to follow Christ. They are concerned with size and power. And so he said that what tends to happen in cities is you have large numbers of Christians who are not so much interested in following Christ, but in being connected to the most entertaining church.

And so the cycle repeats.

I wonder to what extent any of these comments might be true of us. And when I say us, I mean, the church at large in Indianapolis. I mean the church more generally in Haughville. And I mean the church right here at Hope Church of Haughville.

What do we want the church to be? Do we want the church to make us feel strong? To empower us toward upward mobility? To be a place where we can rank ourselves over others? Do we want the church to be our entertainment? Do we want to be a part of the biggest, best church in the community? Where a pastor gives my life purpose even if they manipulate me while doing so?

Brothers and sisters, I am afraid that we are easily confused about the church. We need to be careful and clear mindeded about why the church exists.

The church does not exist so that we can feel strong, so that we can be entertained. The church exists so that we can participate in what Christ is doing in the world. The church exists so that we can become more like Jesus as we care for each other. The church exists not so that we can move up in comfort and status, but so that we can move down and out into the sinful mess of the world.

These are some of the issues I would like to speak to you about this evening. Why does the church exist? Four reasons we’ll see in our text.

The church exists to proclaim the mystery of GOd.

The church exists to make known God’s wisdom.

The church exists to confront the dark powers of this world.

The church exists so that we would know the glory of God.

The church exists to proclaim the mystery of God.

Paul references a “mystery” that has been made known four times. There is a “mystery” that has been made known by God’s revelation, Paul had been given “insight” in this mystery, and it was his job to make plain this “mystery” to the churches.

The way Paul used mystery and the way we think about a mystery are very different. The first thing that comes to mind when I hear mystery is the mystery machine in Scooby Doo, or a mystery like the universe is so vast and unknowable, it’s mysterious. We hear mystery and think a problem we need to solve, or information that is unknowable.

That’s not how Paul used the word. A mystery, for Paul, was a counterintuitive idea that could not have been known by human effort, but it is an idea that has now been made known by God’s revelation. You never would have guessed it on your own. It’s not an idea we ascent to but an idea that God had to make known to us.

So what is the mystery? Paul tells us plainly in verse 6, but hold that thought for a minute. Because Paul used “mystery” at different times to refer to seemingly different things.

In Romans 16:25, Paul referred to mystery as the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Colossians 1:25-27 the mystery is the fullness of God’s Word made known in Christ. In Colossians 2:2 the mystery of God is Christ himself. In 1 Corinthians 15:51 the mystery is our future resurrection. In Ephesians 5:32, the mystery is the love that Christ has for his church.

In other words, this mystery revealed to Paul as the core content of the gospel upon which everything else in the Christian religion rests. And to this core content of the gospel, Paul adds in Ephesians 3:6 - That the divisions in this world are failing, that all people are heirs of Christ together, that we are members of one body, and we share together in the promises of Jesus.

Here’s the mystery. The eternal Son of God became a man and triumphed over sin and death not through might but through weakness and suffering. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, is making one new people not out of domineering force but out of meekness, service, and humility.

In this mystery we have a treasure of beauty and freedom to offer people. Right now, All around Haughville and the westside of our city, there are countless people who are trapped in shame and guilt. They are, as Paul said, in chapter 2, without hope and as good as dead. Even worse, many people are so crushed by their guilt and shame that they think they deserve to die.

We have the tremendous privilege of making the mystery of forgiveness, grace, and the new humanity known to people who are hopeless without it. And we do this through our words, as well as through the church going out in its life together, calling people into this new body that Jesus is creating.

Why does the church exist? We exist to create opportunities for making known this mystery, so that more and more people will learn that they really can be safe and loved by Jesus with his people.

The church exists to make known God’s wisdom.

Look at verse 10. This is one of the most important verses about the church in the New Testament.

Paul says that it is God’s intent to display his manifold wisdom through the church, verse 11, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ. What is his eternal purpose? Remember where we started last week? It’s in Ephesians 1:8-10.

Paul said,

Ephesians 1:8–10 NIV

that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Here is the truest thing about life that you don’t need to be a Christian to agree on. Everything falls apart. Everything dies. Everything breaks down. What does sin do in the world? It tears everything apart. Death, disease, war, violence, discrimination. It unravels everything.

What is God doing about it? In Christ he’s bring unity back to everything that sin has disorganized. Everything that falls apart is being put back together. Everything that dies is coming back to life. Every relationship that has been subjected to hostility is finding peace.

That’s God’s purpose in Christ.

And Paul tells us here in verse 10 that it is God’s intent to display his wisdom, this eternal purpose, through the church.

The church is God’s pilot program that demonstrates the healed and reconciled universe of the future. I just want you to take this in for a moment.

Do you want to know what God’s mystery is? Do you want to know where his wisdom can be found? Do you want a glimpse of the future? You don’t need to look long. Just look around this room. You’re in it.

The church is a messy and broken people who are beautiful, multi-lingual, different colored, many-nationed, women and men, young and old, who together demonstrate the future that is to come.

This is why Paul said that the wisdom of God is manifold. It’s many-sided, many-colored, many-splendoured. Like a diamond, it refracts beautiful light in all directions, in all dimensions. And God’s manifold wisdom is in such a contrast to the way the rulers and authorities Paul mentions here construct things. The rulers and authorities of this world tend to create communities that aren’t necessarily bad they’re just boring, flat, uniform, one-dimensional. At their worst, they will inflict violence and discrimination on those who don’t fit their image.

The church exists to confront dark powers in this world.

So who are these rulers and authorities? Paul seems to have dark and sinister realities in mind here. If you look at how he uses this language in Ephesians 6. Any earthly authority or a shadowy demonic counterpart that is opposed to God’s intention to unite all things in Christ are in view here.

So what Paul seems to be telling us is, 1) That these rulers and authorities are responsible for the divisions and hostilities that exist between us,

2) that these powers are in fact powerless to stop God’s purpose in Christ, and

3) That God’s intent isn’t merely to display his wisdom in us but also to confront these authorities with his wisdom in us.

What are some of the ways rulers and authorities keep the people of Haughville and the Near Westside divided? I want you to think about that with me. In this book we call Ephesians, the issue Paul most directly seems to have been addressing was ethnic conflict between Jews and Gentiles. But hold that through for a minute because I actually want to take a step back from this text in front of us for a moment to consider the broader ministry Paul had with the people in this city of Ephesus.

So this letter of Ephesians was written some time after Paul had stayed with this people as their pastor for several years.

Acts chapters 19 tells us about Paul’s time in Ephesus. Verses 8 through 10 of chapter 19 say that Paul remained in Ephesus for at least two years proclaiming the kingdom of God. And Paul’s preaching had at least 3 immediate effects.

First, we see that Paul confronted religious hypocrisy. Verses 13 through 16 speak of Jews who tried to manipulate the name of Jesus to cast out evil spirits. It didn’t work. In fact, the evil spirits mocked those who had turned the name of Jesus into a performance. One day, a man with an evil spirit jumped on these hustlers and gave them such a beating, the text says, that they ran from that place naked and bleeding.

Manipulating the name of Jesus is dangerous business. Twisting Jesus for appearances is dangerous business. Using Jesus for influence and control is deadly.

The genuine church will not only avoid these things, but confront them. What does it look like for Hope Church to confront the religious hypocrisy of Haughville? At minimum, it means we will not participate in any behavior that turns the church, or our savior, into a brand. We will not manipulate people so that we can grow in size or followers. And we will not shrink back from calling out hypocrisy wherever we see it, because we know that is a dangerous game people are playing, and we don’t want any of that in our community.

Second, we see that Paul’s ministry confronted superstition. Verse 19 in Acts 19 says that many people who practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them. They repented of their sorcery and turned to Jesus. Now sorcery in the ancient world was not cartoonish in the way we think of it. Sorcery was not, you know, witches with long noses and an evil laugh making dark green potions.

Sorcery was a superstitious way to control people and the environment. Through various spells, rituals, and incantations, the goal was to try and bring people and the world around them under control. Yet there is only one who is in control, and that is King Jesus. Surrendering ourselves to King Jesus means that we will give up the superstitions we use to try and control the world around us.

And make no mistake, we are just as superstitious, if not more so, than the people in Ephesus. Good luck charms are relatively harmless, but they are a superstitious attempt at control. Horoscopes and astrology are superstition. Nationalism and political idolatry is superstition. Ancestor worship is superstition. To believe that if you know enough you can control the outcome of certain events is a superstition. To believe that if you work hard enough then nothing bad can happen to you, that is superstition. Racism and racial hierarchies are superstition. Cults are superstition. Gender hierarchies are superstition. False religions are superstition. Class hierarchies are superstition.

None of this stuff is grounded in Christ’s reality, but we turn to these things for control of people and the world around us.

The work of the church is that we call each other to lay down our superstitions, our anxious striving for control, and come to King Jesus. We’ve all got scrolls to burn. So we lay them down, and call others to do the same, because we know that Jesus loves us and he’s in control.

The third effect of Paul’s preaching in Ephesus was a confrontation with money. As Paul preached the kingdom of God and people began to turn from their superstition, those who made money off people got afraid. See, superstition is big business for folks. When you control people, and give them the illusion of control, you can make a lot of money off that. And so in 19 verse 25 we read of one man, Demetrius, who was making a lot of money off superstition. And he said, “

New International Version (2011) Chapter 19

You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.

After hearing this, the people were furious. The threat to their money and a loss of control turned the whole city into a mob. And yet one of the greatest superstitions of all that the gospel must confront is our belief in money: money is safety. Money is control. Money is power.

I am concerned that we are tempted to tie belief in Jesus to our financial superstitions. For some, that’s a health and wealth message: believe in Jesus, and you’ll get rich. I don’t think many of us believe that.

I do think some of us are tempted by a gospel of upward mobility. We want church to be a place where we can move up in the world. We want the church to be a place where there will be other people moving up in the world with us. We want the church to feel neat, ordered, comfortable.

Yet Jesus said, bring me the wretched, tired, sick, and poor of the world.

Some of us must come to terms with the fact that the church needs to be a place where we are disrupted and interrupted. Where our desire for more, where our desire to move up, must reckon with Jesus’ call for us to move down and out into the world.

This is the effect the gospel was having while Paul was having in Ephesus. Everything was getting turned upside down, because dark powers of control and division were being confronted. External systems were confronted. Individual hearts were confronted. Everything was a mess as people turned to Jesus in repentance and faith and joined this new thing called a church.

Come back to Ephesians 3 with me now. Some time later, years after Paul had left this church in Ephesus, after the dust had settled and the church was established, Paul wrote them this letter. And he said, we’re not done. We’ve still got some things to talk about. There are still dark powers at work, dividing the church on ethnic boundaries. But you need to know that it is for this reason Christ died, that he might bring together all kinds of people into one new humanity.

Now, I haven’t spent a lot of time addressing the ethnic division present in this chapter, and that’s for a couple reasons. One, because I don’t think anyone in this room needs to be reminded that ethnic and racial divisions are a reality. Second, and I think many of you get this, we can’t deal with Ephesians 3 until we’ve dealth with Acts 19.

In other words, we cannot address the ethnic and racial division of our communities until we first confront the religious hypocrisy, the superstitions, and the money, that often maintain systems of segregation and division. Do you follow me?

Ephesians 3 is not some grand kumbaya moment where everyone is now at peace with some romantic notion of unity and acceptance. Ephesians 3 is the next step for this church after a decade of confronting some hard things out there and in here so that they could all become more like Jesus together.

The church, our church, must be a place where we can confront some hard things. And Paul said we can do that because we know, Ephesians 3:12, that through Christ we approach God with freedom and confidence. When we are loved by Jesus, that we’re safe in Jesus, that he’s in control and everything’s going to be OK, we can do hard things together.

And so if you, like me, want to move into the beauty of the gospel, then I want you to ask with me, “What in my heart needs to shift so that this manifold wisdom of God can shine brighter in us?”

If we would be willing to ask that question together, I am confident the glory of God will be known among us.

The church exists to that we would know the glory of God.

Many commentators agree that verses 1-13 seem to be an interrupted thought in the flow of his thoughts, and that verses 14 to 21 Paul now gets caught up in praise for what God can and will do.

And his prayer for the church is that we would get caught up in this praise and that together, as one people, we would grasp just how wide and deep is the love of Christ.

When our church becomes a place of manipulation and control, everything is a out of whack. We’re in danger. The people around us are in danger. We control people and take advantage of them. It’s terrible.

But when the church is caught up in the beauty and magnificence of what GOd is doing to bring healing and restoration to the world, then the glory of God shines brightly in that place.

So here is my ask for Hope church this evening. Join me in prayer for this church and what God is doing in our neighborhood. Pray that we would stay focused on what God is doing in us. Pray that we wouldn’t lose sight of the beauty, the safety, the confidence of Jesus. Pray against dark powers turning us into a place of manipulation and control. Pray that we would get swept up in God’s plan to make his mystery and wisdom known in this part of our city.

God, keep our hearts pure and undefiled in these things. To you be the glory in the church and in Jesus Christ for all generations, amen.