Reflections: On the Church (2022)
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Slow Down
Slow Down
Ever been told to “slow down and smell the roses?” (expand on this)
Reflecting is slowing down and taking time to consider something. As we continue our series on reflections with our biblical precedence, authority being Php4:8-9 look at this interpretive version of those verses
8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 9 Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
I do want to take a minute to discuss the Christmas theme, the birth of Christ. Scripture says the Shepherds rejoiced (Mt2:10-11); the wisemen worshiped him (Lk2:11), this was sometime later after Jesus was in a house in Galilee.
It is not bad to have great joy, to rejoice, or to worship Him and we are called to, but it is not called Christmas. We are commanded to proclaim His death until He comes (1Cor11:26), but without the birth, there would be no fulfillment, no satisfaction of God’s wrath. So it is good to remember His birth, by the way of which we do not know the year, much less the month or the day of His birth. May we rejoice in the Lord daily, may we reflect on the Lord daily, not just a day that man has decided to call “Christmas”.
Transition: So, now back to our series, reflections today we will focus on the church.
We previously reflected on baptism and we see (Act2:47):
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
That when we are baptized the Lord add’s us to the number of those being saved. To the Church
Church is mentioned 112 times in the N.T. (NASB) so it must be important (Mt16:15-18).
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
So let’s start with what is the definition of Church?
Church Defined
Church Defined
Ekklesia (Gk) - synonymous with the Hebrew word “kahal” of the Old testament. Both words simply mean “an assembly” Easton’s Bible Dictionary
Thayer’s Analytical Greek Lexicon says “a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.”
So it does not have to be a religious gathering to be an ekklesia, Ekklesia is assembly. This is the definition in general sense
In the Christian sense when speaking of the church we have several types of Ekklesia.
The universal Church (Eph1:22-23; Heb12:22-23) - this is the whole assembly of people who are saved
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
And you can couple that with
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
So you have the whole church, the universal church comprised of the saved. This has no reference to generation, to time, just to salvation of those who are enrolled in heaven (Heb12:23) and were added to the church of Christ by the Lord Himself (Act2:47)
The local church - a group of christian’s who work, gather together, who assemble in local area (1Cor1:2; Rom16:16).
2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
And:
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
Those are some biblical examples, there were house churches too, mentioned in home of Lydia (Act16:40) or home of Aquila and Priscilla (1Cor16:19)
Church Meeting - an assembly of Christians who are gathered together for worship, as is accustomed on the first day of the week (Act20:7; 1Cor16:2).
7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.
And check out
2 On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.
We see a precedence of meeting, assembling on the first day of the week.
We should not forsake assembling together as noted in (Heb10:25).
As we continue our reflection today it will mostly focus on the “universal church”; all those who are saved by Christ, so let’s see how the scripture describes the church.
II. Church Described
II. Church Described
The church is the body of Christ
This body, Jesus is the head of, and is over and is the Savior of (Eph1:22-23; Eph5:23).
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
then
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
The scripture uses a metaphor too describing the church and it’s relationship with Christ (Col2:19).
19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
The church is the entire body as noted in (Rom12:5)
The entire body, is one body, consisting of many members, all a part of one another
The church is the house of God
(remind everyone the definition of church, the called out, the assembly of people) - expand on this again if time permits
The house of God speaks of the family of God (1Tim3:15; Mt12:48-50; Mk).
15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
IT is a family as Jesus spoke of in (Mt12:48-50; Mk10:28-30)
The church is the temple of God (Eph2:19-22)
A holy habitation, the household of God or dwelling of god
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,
21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
We have a very serious duty to protect, to maintain the purity of the temple of God (1Cor3:16-17).
16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
So, in other words, keep your temple clean, the house of God, the body of Christ, the Ekklesia purified.
The church is the Kingdom of Christ (Col1:12-13; Mt28:18)
For because of the Father we have been qualified to be, and have been transferred into the kingdom of Christ
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. 13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
In His kingdom, the one who has all authority as noted in (Mt28:18)
The Church is the bride of Christ (2Cor11:2; Rev19:6-9)
We are his bride, betrothed to Him.
2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.
we will be with Him!
6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 7 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”
8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”
We have been made ready by the blood of Christ, we have our invitation for the marriage supper of the Lamb!
As good as all this is we need to be careful to protect the unity of the church from things that can divide the church.
III. Church Defiled
III. Church Defiled
People, groups who teach other doctrines that are not in the Bible
Organizations who have a head other than Christ
Christ prayer was for unity through His teaching and the Apostles words (Jn17:20-21)
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
Paul rebuked division (1Cor1:10-13)
10 Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.
12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
There is only one head, that head is Christ, we belong to Him.
There is another issue sectarianism
Defined as: excessive attachment to a particular sect or party, especially in religion
View of select group of churches as constituting the universal church
Emphasis on “one name” for the church or certain doctrines, teachings over others.
These can often express carnality with its envy, strive and division (1Cor3:1-4)
1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able,
3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?
IV. The Church, drawing a conclusion
IV. The Church, drawing a conclusion
As the church, the body of believers, we are not alone, don’t get caught into things that are too broad in defining the church or too narrow for we don’t add to the church daily, the Lord does.
The Church that Christ built and that Christ loves is to precious to be defiled so we must endeavor to protect the unity (Eph4:3-6).
3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
But to do it carefully so to protect the bond of peace, so I better back up to keep the previous verses in context.
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
And I can’t stop there is the words of Paul to the Philippian Church (Php2:1-4)
1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
So let me ask you, what is your view of the Church?
Is it purchased with the very blood of Jesus? (Act20:28)
Is it a glorious church, holy, without blemish? (Eph5:25-27)
Be the church! Be simply a Christian serving the Lord and recognizing His authority over the church
(Invitation slide) (Invitation) (Song) (prayer)