A Community of the Called

This year our 2020 theme is “Seeing Spiritually.”

We are looking to see with both natural eyes and with spiritual eyes, to see what God is doing.

Now, we are fighting this “unseen enemy” - COVID-19.

One of my biggest concerns in this crisis is for how we are to “Be the Church” in the absence of being able to go to church.

Two weeks ago we talked about “Living Beyond Redemption,” that you were redeemed for a purpose beyond yourself.

Last week we talked about “The New Normal” what it looks like to be a new creation with a new purpose and calling.

This week I want to bring those ideas together and talk about what it looks like corporately to be redeemed people who are called together for a purpose.

We use the word church to mean a building, a weekly service and an institution, but before church became those things it has a dynamic purpose and that purpose transcends the usual forms.

The word “church” in the Bible first occurs in Matthew 16:18. It is not used in any of the other gospels but appears frequently in Acts and in Paul’s letters.

The word ekklesia itself means “the called out.”

It usually refers to a gathering of people for a specific purpose.

But elsewhere in the New Testament it refers more to the people who are united by a common purpose than to the gathering itself.

We are the “community of the called.”

Gathering helps us to discover our common purpose.

Like attending a family reunion reminds you where you got certain traits.

Gathering as believers reminds us who we are and in whose image we were created.

We encourage one another to faith and good works.

But we do not cease to be the church when we are scattered.

Scattering is how we impact the world with the gospel.

When we scatter, we carry the flame of God’s light and truth to ignite others.

Does that flame go out when you take it out of the fire?

If we discover our common purpose when we are gathered, then we do not loose our identity when we are scattered.

Matthew 16:13–20 ESV

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 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. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

What does it mean to be the church? How should we describe this community of the called?

An Enlightened Collective

English Standard Version Chapter 16

“But who do you say that I am?”

We are a community that knows Jesus.

Allow me to set the stage for what is happening in this passage:

Jesus has just healed multitudes of people.

He fed the five thousand and His disciples were part of that.

He walked on water and so did Peter (a little bit).

He confronted the religious leaders about their hypocrisy.

Now Jesus and His disciples are back in their home territory and presumably it is safer to talk.

Jesus asks His disciples about what people are saying about Him.

Jesus is getting feedback like all good leaders should.

John the Baptist had just been killed, some people thought Jesus was his ghost.

It’s not surprising that they would think of Elijah because everyone was waiting for Elijah to come. Jesus’ miracles would have called Elijah to mind.

Jeremiah calls to mind that Jesus was not following the religious establishment. He had a radical message like Jeremiah.

But Jesus is not so much interested in what people are saying as in what His disciples are believing:

“Who do you say that I am?

Imagine if I were asking our leadership team for the same feedback.

It’s one thing to ask, “what are people saying about me?”

Some say your Pastor Dan reincarnated. Some say you’re an intellectual like Pastor Bill. You had me when you did your impersonation of Pastor John.

It’s another thing to ask, “who am I to you?”

The question goes beyond asking what do you think of me? It’s asking if you really know me? Do you understand why I exist and what drives me?

Peter responds by confessing Jesus to be the promised Messiah - literally God incarnate.

Roman Emperor used the title “son of the gods.”

But for a Jew, there could only be one God and Peter was ascribing Divinity to Jesus whom he knew in the flesh.

That statement could have gotten Peter killed, and generations of Christians after that would die for the same declaration.

Peter was speaking for the group; if he were not, he wouldn’t have dared to say it.

Jesus told Peter that he was no longer seeing with human eyes.

If Peter were only seeing flesh and blood, he would think Jesus a mere man, extraordinary but human.

Peter was seeing spiritually.

Maybe it occured to him while he was feeding the five thousand or when he was walking towards Jesus on the water.

He saw that Jesus is God. (In the next chapter we have the transfiguration).

We are a community that knows who we are.

Then Jesus turns to Peter and tells him who he (Peter) is.

The New American Commentary: Matthew 2. The Polarization Enacted: From Jew to Gentile (13:53–16:20)

Jesus’ declaration, “You are Peter,” parallels Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ,” as if to say, “Since you can tell me who I am, I will tell you who you are.”

Simon was not a bad name to have. There are lots of Simons in the Bible. Most were probably named after Simon Maccabee the intertestamental revolutionary.

Peter has an impulsive personality. Whether walking on water or denying Jesus, we see him given to extremes.

Jesus is not just giving Peter a name. He is calling something forth in his identity.

A rock is steady. It is a firm foundation upon which to build.

If Jesus is who Peter says he is, then He can tell Peter who he really is.

Who knows you better than your creator?

Other people will try to tell you who you are. But do they really know you?

People who disparage you, degrade you or insult you are not reflecting you but their own insecurity.

That’s why children learn to respond with “I know you are but what am I?”

“Who am I?” is a question we all should ask but only God can answer.

God will use people to speak life into your life.

The words that come from God will provide a solid foundation.

If the things that people have said to you or about you do not give hope or confidence, then they are not God’s message to you.

We are a community entrusted with the gospel message.

The message of the gospel is “good news!”

God created the world good and He is restoring the world to it’s original state.

You were created in God’s image and God is restoring you to His image.

The “good news” is that Jesus has made a way for us to be restored to God.

When you realize who you are in Christ you become an example to the world of a transformed life.

This is the part of being the church that we often forget.

The disciples (learners) became apostles (sent out one) so that they could bear witness to the transforming power of God.

Jesus is calling forth a transformation in Peter, but not just in Peter.

Jesus is building His church - a community of the called, transformed and sent into the world as witnesses.

A Heavenly Militia

English Standard Version Chapter 16

I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

As a community we are powerful!

When we think of church, we think of a building where people gather for a weekly service, take up an offering and then go home until the next week.

Our church services are loosely structured around the Jewish synagogue model.

There are two Greek words that are used for a gathering of people, one is synagoga, the other is ekklesia

Ekklesia is not your regular planned meeting, it is an urgent assembly for a specific purpose.

We have learned to think of the church as a place of comfort and safety, a respite from the evil world.

The word Jesus used is more like gathering a militia. "Drop whatever you are doing and assemble.”

If Jesus were the worldly leader that His disciples once thought He was, He would have gathered an army of terrorists to sabotage the Roman occupation.

It’s likely that His disciples might have thought that is what He meant and that Peter was to be the commander of His army.

So when Jesus said, “I will build my church” we think of an institution, His disciple would have thought He meant an army.

As a community we are advancing.

If you think of ekklesia as an army, then the next statements make more sense.

The gates of hell are not going to prevail.

Someone has rightly pointed out that gates to not attack.

If the gates are not going to hold, then the church is the one doing the attacking.

If we are using the church as a place of safety from the world, that is not what is described here. The church is advancing.

The gates of hell is probably a common idiom for death.

So to say that the gates of hell will not prevail is like saying, “not even death can stop us.”

That may sound like soldiers psyching themselves up for battle.

Paul takes it much more literally, death itself is the enemy.

1 Corinthians 15:25–26 ESV

25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Death is part of the fall, the consequences of sin in humanity.

First of all, our battle is against sin.

Then the forces of darkness that keep people in bondage to sin

And last of all death itself will be defeated.

As a community we are bringing God’s Kingdom to earth.

What does an army do? It enforces the authority of a ruler.

The Kingdom of Heaven refers to every aspect of this world that has come under the rule of God.

We saw in our study of Ephesians that God is bringing everything under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Jesus taught us to pray, “thy will be done on earth as in heaven.”

We see His Kingdom coming.

Sin leads to death but Jesus gives life.

How do we bring the Kingdom?

First we bring ourselves under Jesus’ Lordship.

Then we bring what is under our influence under Jesus’ Lordship.

But we are continually advancing, growing that sphere of influence and appealing to those who are ignorant of what God is doing in the world.

A Spiritual Society

English Standard Version Chapter 16

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven

We are called to rule.

What does it mean that Jesus has given us keys?

Peter was representing the church. It’s not just Peter that has the keys, it’s the church!

What can you do with keys? You can open or close a door. (Now we can start up a vehicle and drive it!)

Jesus won a great victory for us at the cross. Having a key means you can do what you want with that.

As the church, we decide how God’s rule and how Christ’s victory will be utilized in our little corner of the world.

Traditionally it has been thought of as the church allowing or not allowing certain activities within its membership.

But let’s think outside the box… could we also use these keys to lock or unlock things in our community.

What if the whole church stood up and said that certain things should not be allowed because it’s God’s world and that’s not how He created things to operate?

We are called to release.

Ruling is not supposed to be a negative thing. Sure, rule breakers don’t like to be told that they are breaking the rules. But there are also positive ways that we can influence.

When my kids were growing up, my oldest daughter became the enforcer of the rules, she would take away things that the younger ones were not allowed to have, prompting cries and screams. So we would tell her, “don’t just take things away,” you have to give them something else.

I’m glad to know that God doesn’t take anything away except that He gives us something instead.

As Christians we are not just called to bind or forbid, but to loose or release.

So if we are against something like abortion. What are we releasing in place of that?

Are we demonstrating the preciousness of every life?

Are we compassionate and supportive of those who find themselves in an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy?

What are we releasing when it comes to issues like poverty, addictions, racism or human trafficking.

In the classic book “Taking our Cities for God” John Dawnson, former YWAM leader, tells us that it is not enough to pray against the strongholds of a region. One needs to act in an opposite manner to what is being observed.

It’s wonderful to know that God gives the church authority and that it’s not just for the church but to change the world around us.

I don’t want to understate the power of prayer and intercession, because it is really powerful and important.

But we should add to that the power of action and demonstration when it comes to releasing the Kingdom.

We are called to increase.

There is a curious verse at the end of this passage.

Matthew 16:20 The Message

20 He swore the disciples to secrecy. He made them promise they would tell no one that he was the Messiah.

Well, that seems to contradict everything that we just said.

It was a matter of timing, Jesus had not yet died and rose again from the dead.

His disciples may have been still thinking that H was planning to overthrow Rome.

You can imagine what kind of confusion it would cause if they gave the signal before the work was finished and they fully understood their mission.

The point is that we are not sworn to secrecy. It’s time! We have been commissioned!

Matthew 28:19 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

This was the last instruction that Jesus gave to His ekklesia and it is the orders that we are still operating under today.

Questions for reflection:

Who do you say Jesus is? What experiences have informed your answer? How has knowing Jesus helped you to know who you are?

Why do we exist as a church? Are we called together by God? Do you feel the urgency of our mission? How are you helping to advance the cause of Christ?

Are you seeing the church with spiritual eyes? How is the church restraining evil influences? What are we releasing? How are you participating in the mission of the church?