Jesus Loves the Local Church

Two thousand years ago, the church was born

Following Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost

Those gathered in Jerusalem disbursed, and the church began

The early church was led by the twelve apostles and then the apostle Paul

Most of our New Testament writings came from these men

Most of these men personally chosen by Jesus had reputations and track records that were less than idealideal

Yet, Jesus chose these very men to entrust the future of the message of the gospel

Jesus gave them the responsibility and authority of His Kingdom (the church) prior to His ascension

By all human standards, the church movement should have collapsed

However, because of the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the apostles, it exploded

It was because of their total comittment to Jesus Christ and truth — along with their submission to the Holy Spirit and their obedience… the church of Jesus Christ thrived!

In the centuries that have followed, other men and women have done the same

As a result, the church of Jesus Christ continues today - and will until the end of time!

Matthew 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 church has not been without opposition… from the earliest times, Satan has been attempting to destroy the church

There has been severe and repeated persecution

Apostasy has been and continues to be a threat to the church

There has been corruption at all levels withn the church

Apathy and lukewarmness has weakened and undermined the church in some parts of the world

To this day, Satan persists in deceiving believers and distorting the truth of the gospel and the church

The TRUE church of Jesus Christ will stand until the end of time

The question we need to consider is whether we will be part of the TRUE church

Sometimes the realities of the local church — this congregation… this specific group of believers — can feel unrelated or irrelevant in relation to the worldwide church of Jesus Christ

I believe that is faulty theology

The worldwide TRUE church of Jesus Christ consists of MANY local congregations faithfully following Christ

No two are alike… each has its own set of flaws… each is only as effective as each individual member allows

The local church is critical to Christianity… even our own local church

I suspect every one of us has been frustrated at times with the local church… I know I have!

we don’t like the outcome or the speed of decisions; stuff falls through the cracks; some people don’t do what they said they would; some are unwilling to participate;

Many times it is not easy or particularly fun… it takes a lot of work… and it is the way God designed it

For all of its foibles—which at its worst include lousy preaching, political infighting, self-centeredness, stagnation, a gaggle of special-interest groups—the poky local church in suburbia is still the most fertile environment for spiritual development there is. Genuine spiritual progress doesn't happen without a long-term attachment to a poky local church. I'm all for improving the organization of a local church to make it more biblically effective, but the maddening frustration that prompts someone to leave one church for another may be the precise thing that holds great potential for spiritual progress—if one stays. "Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves," Dietrich Bonheoffer wrote. "Only that fellowship which faces such disillusionment, with all its unhappy and ugly aspects, begins to be what it should be in God's sight, begins to grasp in faith the promise that is given to it."

Disillusionment with one's church, then, is not a reason to leave but a reason to stay and see what God will create in one's life and in the local church. What I perceive to be my needs—"I need a church with a more biblical preacher who uses specific examples from real life"—may not correspond to my true spiritual needs. Often I am not attuned to my true spiritual needs. Thinking that I know my true needs is arrogant and narcissistic. Staying put as a life practice allows God's grace to work on the unsanded surfaces of my inner life. Seventeenth-century French Catholic mystic Francois Fenelon wrote, "Slowly you will learn that all the troubles in your life—your job, your health, your inward failings— are really cures to the poison of your old nature."

I would add "your church" to his list; that is, all the troubles in one's church are really cures to the poison of one's old nature, or, as the Apostle Paul put it in , the "sinful nature." The biggest problem in any church I attend is myself—and my love of self and my penchant to roam when I sense my needs aren't being met.

Staying put and immersing oneself in the life of a gathered community forces one into eventual conflict with other church members, with church leadership, or with both. Frustration and conflict are the raw materials of spiritual development. All the popular reasons given for shopping for another church are actually spiritual reasons for staying put. They are a means of grace, preventing talk of spirituality from becoming sentimental or philosophical. Biblical spirituality is earthy, face-to-face, and often messy.

This morning I want us to consider seven characteristics of the church from Ephesians… seven characteristics that should be evident in every poky local church… even this one!

What comes to your mind

X. The Church is made up of adopted believers

Ephesians 1:4–6 ESV

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:9–10 ESV

making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Ephesians 4:15–16 ESV

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

What comes to your mind / how would you describe Jesus Christ as the head of the church?

Ephesians 1:7–10 ESV

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Ephesians 1:

The head controls the body… Jesus is the head… the church (we) are the body.

How frequently do we operate differently? Do we attempt to contol the Head rather than allowing Christ control us??

Our own opinions and perspectives are often elevated dangerously high

How often are we more concerned about stating our opinion rather than searching Scripture and seeking direction from Jesus Christ??

How can we say Jesus Christ is the Head if we insist on maintaining control?

The fact remains: Jesus Christ is the Head of the church… of the local church… of this local church

Our responsibility is to consciously remember that and respond accordingly

Jesus is perfect — I am not

Jesus is infallable — I am not

Jesus is truth — I am not

Jesus see the big picture — I do not

Let’s make sure that we keep Jesus as the Head — not in name only, but in reality

Ephesians 5:21–24 ESV

submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Ephesians 5:22–24 ESV

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

Jesus (the Head) requires submissioon

The church has a responsibility to set an example of submission to Jesus Christ

In a similar way, we individuals also have a responsibility to submit to each other…

Ephesians 5:21 KJV

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Our submission (or lack therof) is indicative of our level of reverance for Jesus Christ

The church - in submission to Jesus Christ - should model and demonstrate how a marriage relationship should work

I have to wonder whether the moral crisis we find ourselves in is a reflection of how the churches in the US failed to submit to Jesus Christ and to each other??

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Human beings are God’s unique and crowning creation

We are created in the image of God

We have been given the responsibility to make choices (not robots)

We choose whether we will serve our Creator or whether we will reject Him

We choose how much we do for God and how much we do for our own selfish interests and gain

We choose whether we do good works or we do sinful works

Paul writes to the Ephesians reminding them that we are “created… for good works”

Good works is not something we can do on our own… by our definition perhaps, but not God’s!

Good works are possible ONLY after we receive the gift of salvation, and allow the Holy Spirit to control and transform our hearts… our inner being

Only then are we capable of accomplishing what God put us on this earth to do!

Ephesians 2:19–22 ESV

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Paul describes the church like a building

the key to a buildings long-term stability is the foundation… and Jesus Christ is the key foundational stone in the local church

However, the foundation is not the building...

The church is built on the foundation… on Jesus Christ

While there are many components, primarily two types

Infrastructure (unseen)

Frame (2x6 walls, floor joists, trusses)

Plumbing

Electrictal

Insulation

Heating/Cooling

The visible components

Drywall & paint

Doors, trim, light fixtures

Carpet

Siding or brick exterior

This is a beautiful illustration of the design of the church

It is not so important what our role is as it is that we fulfil our role

a 2x4 or heating duct or insulation could be ineffective/irrelevant if not in the proper place

similarly, baseboard would not make good framing material

The church… the local church… is designed to demonstrate and model unity and purpose

Ephesians 3:10–11 ESV

so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Ephesians 3:9–11 ESV

and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Ephe

Ephesians 3:8–11 ESV

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,

As I pondered this characteristic of the church, I had two reactions

The first is a sense of awe that God entrusts us to know and show His wisdom to others

The second is the sense of dismay as to how poorly we have done

All too often, the petty differences and squabbles… the discord… makes it impossible for the wisdom of God to be visible in the local church

The church is truly a supernatural entity and that should be evident in our world

Unity and purpose shine brightly in contrast to the confusion and chaos all around

What do people see in me? in you? in us as a group?

Do they see the wisdom of God?

Do they see inconsistencies and hypocrisy?

Let’s make God’s wisdom known … let’s broadcast God’s wisdom… through our local church

Ephesians 3:14–21 ESV

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:16–21 ESV

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

God is capable (and willing) to do far immeasurably more than what we ask or even think… so why don’t we see it more?

Do we believe that?

Do we live and act as if we believe that?

Too often we limit God by assuming we know what God wants to do and then moving ahead without faith… without giving opportunity for something more… without allowing God to do what He wants to do

I believe God is waiting to do more… if we would simply believe and allow Him the freedom to work

There are many examples and stories of modern day miracles where believers / churches have had the courage to do this…

God desires to show-off His power though the local church IF only we allow Him to do so

Faith is a critical component… we must have faith!

Our faith is weakened when we have an abundance of our own resources and ideas

We take action based on what WE THINK is important and we do so in OUR OWN STRENGTH

Imagine what God may want to do if we didn’t impose our limitations on Him?

According to these verses, He wants to do more that what we can even imagine!

Let’s let Him… let’s ask in faith!

Ephesians 4:1–16 ESV

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Many churches today operate more as an organization than an organism… I can understand why.

Apply business and leadership principles that work other places

What is the difference between an organization and an organism?

This may be over-simplying it, but an organism is living… and organization is lifeless

a wooden structure vs. a tree

Organism

Only divinely made

Not man-made

shared lives

shared purpose

a healthy body

Life given by the Holy Spirit

Organization (man-made entity)

Corporations & LLCs

groups of diverse people

doing something together

working toward a common goal

The human body is the most vivid analogy of the local church

living

growing

intricate

interdependant

unified

organs have distinct roles

The lifeblood of the local church is the Holy Spirit… only the Spirit gives life

A church without life (the Holy Spirit) becomes an organization

Ephesians 6:10–18 ESV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

The church… the local church… Christians are under constant attack by Satan and his warriors

Satan is determined to destroy the church

He does this by attacking individuals

When individuals are weakened or destroyed, Satan has a foothold in the local church

It is like cancer in the human body

Each one of us can have victory over Satan… and we know that church will be victorious!

Let’s be among those who put on the whole armor of God in our battle against Satan and his demons

For all of its foibles—which at its worst include lousy preaching, political infighting, self-centeredness, stagnation, a gaggle of special-interest groups—the poky local church in suburbia is still the most fertile environment for spiritual development there is. Genuine spiritual progress doesn't happen without a long-term attachment to a poky local church. I'm all for improving the organization of a local church to make it more biblically effective, but the maddening frustration that prompts someone to leave one church for another may be the precise thing that holds great potential for spiritual progress—if one stays. "Just as surely as God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves," Dietrich Bonheoffer wrote. "Only that fellowship which faces such disillusionment, with all its unhappy and ugly aspects, begins to be what it should be in God's sight, begins to grasp in faith the promise that is given to it."

Jesus loves the poky local church where believers genuinely are following Him… including right here!

Let’s remember...

Disillusionment with one's church, then, is not a reason to leave but a reason to stay and see what God will create in one's life and in the local church. What I perceive to be my needs—"I need a church with a more biblical preacher who uses specific examples from real life"—may not correspond to my true spiritual needs. Often I am not attuned to my true spiritual needs. Thinking that I know my true needs is arrogant and narcissistic. Staying put as a life practice allows God's grace to work on the unsanded surfaces of my inner life. Seventeenth-century French Catholic mystic Francois Fenelon wrote, "Slowly you will learn that all the troubles in your life—your job, your health, your inward failings— are really cures to the poison of your old nature."

I would add "your church" to his list; that is, all the troubles in one's church are really cures to the poison of one's old nature, or, as the Apostle Paul put it in , the "sinful nature." The biggest problem in any church I attend is myself—and my love of self and my penchant to roam when I sense my needs aren't being met.

Jesus is the Head of the local church

The local church is comprised of believers created uniquely for good works

The local church is like a building - Jesus is the cornerstone

The local church is to model the wisdom of God

God wants His power to glorify the local church

Staying put and immersing oneself in the life of a gathered community forces one into eventual conflict with other church members, with church leadership, or with both. Frustration and conflict are the raw materials of spiritual development. All the popular reasons given for shopping for another church are actually spiritual reasons for staying put. They are a means of grace, preventing talk of spirituality from becoming sentimental or philosophical. Biblical spirituality is earthy, face-to-face, and often messy.

The local church is a body — the Body of Christ

The local church is under attack

Let’s be a local church that causes those around us to see the incredible wisdom and glory of God at work in and through us as we work together in submission to Jesus Christ, our Head!

Jesus Loves the Local Church

Introduction

Christianity Today. July 2003. Suburban Spirituality. by David Goetz

1. Jesus Christ is the Head of the local Church

1. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church

2. The local church is comprised of believers created uniquely for good works

3. The local church is like a building - Jesus is the cornerstone

4. The local church is to model the wisdom of God

5. God wants His power to glorify the local church

6. The local church is a body - the Body of Christ

7. The local church is under attack!

Conclusion