What should church look like?

We have been looking at churches at the end of the first century as well as into the second century face what church should look like in the time they lived.

Walk of faith is lived out in ultimate love and grace

Repent of your sin, your faultDo the works you did at firstWill you rememberWill you repentWill you change

WE: IDENTIFICATION (MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOU STRUGGLE)

The church struggled with issues of time and busy before the virus.

Do you remember 9/11 oceans dried up.

Covid has changed the landscape of life.

Internet doctor, church, new normal

What should the church look like?

I have heard it stated that we don’t like change.

What will we change in our lives to follow Christ?

What will church look like?

GOD: ILLUMINATION (THE GOAL IS TO RESOLVE THE TENSION

I. Church in Pergamum (Per ga mun)

Revelation 2:12 (ESV)

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword

A. There seems to be judgement if things don’t change?

1. This city was a judicial center, which may mean the phrase where satan’s thrown dwells.

2. God’ judgement was a sharp two edged sword.

B. You did not deny your faith in me.

1.This church was faithful in their relationship in Christ.

2. That is powerful But..

C. Here are the problems

A. Organized

It was organized with a provincial centre and an administration like that of a presbytery or diocese. The point here is that Pergamum was the centre of that worship for the province of Asia. Undoubtedly, that is why Pergamum was Satan’s seat;

it was the place where people were required on pain of death to take the name of Lord and give it to Caesar instead of to Christ; and to a Christian there could be nothing more satanic than that.

The risen Christ is called the one who has the sharp two-edged sword. Roman governors were divided into two classes—those who had the ius gladii, the right of the sword, and those who did not. Those who had the right of the sword had the power of life and death; on their word a person could be executed on the spot. In terms of worldly power, the proconsul, who had his headquarters at Pergamum, had the ius gladii, the right of the sword, and at any moment he might use it against any Christian; but the letter tells Christians not to forget that the last word is still with the risen Christ, who has the sharp two-edged sword. The power of Rome might be satanically powerful; but the power of the risen Lord is even greater.

But here the matter is being looked at from another point of view.

The Christians of Pergamum have their permanent residence, as far as this world is concerned, in Pergamum; and Pergamum is the place where Satan’s rule is strongest.

Here is something very important. The principle of the Christian life is not escape but conquest. We may feel it would be very much easier to be a Christian in some other place and in some other circumstances; but the duty of Christians is to witness for Christ where life has set them

II. Error that could destroy the church

Balaam & Nicolaitans

1. The heretics we meet here are the Nicolaitans. They are only named, not defined. But we meet them again in Pergamum (verse 15). There, they are very closely connected with those ‘who hold to the teaching of Balaam’—and that in turn is connected with eating things offered to idols and with immorality (verse 14). We meet precisely the same problem at Thyatira, where the wicked Jezebel is said to cause Christians to practise immorality and to eat things offered to idols.

Barclay, W. (2004). The Revelation of John (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, Vol. 1, p. 74). Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press.

2. Nicolaitans, could be derived from two Greek words, nikan, to conquer, and laos, the people. Balaam can be derived from two Hebrew words, bela, to conquer, and ha’am, the people. The two names, then, are the same, and both can describe an evil teacher, who has won victory over the people and brought them under the influence of poisonous heresy.

Barclay, W. (2004). The Revelation of John (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, Vol. 1, pp. 74–75). Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press.

3. Much of this worship looked very much like the pagan lifestyle.

4. To be involved this way made it difficult to see much difference from the pagans and saints.

B. We are to be different

Those who are not prepared to be different need not start on the Christian way at all. The most common word for a Christian in the New Testament is hagios, whose basic meaning is different or separate. The Temple is hagios because it is different from other buildings; the Sabbath day is hagios because it is different from other days; God is supremely hagios because he is totally different from human beings; and the Christian is hagios because he or she is different from others.

We must be clear what this difference means, for there is a paradox in it. It is Paul’s summons to the Corinthians that they should be different from the world. ‘Come out from them’ (2 Corinthians 6:17). This difference from the world does not involve separation from it or hatred for it. Paul says in writing to the very same church: ‘I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some’ (1 Corinthians 9:22). It was Paul’s claim that he could get on with and communicate with all kinds of people; but—and here is the point—his getting on with them was that he might save some. It was not a question of bringing Christianity down to their level; it was a question of bringing them up. The fault of the Nicolaitans was that they were following a policy of compromise solely to save themselves from trouble.

III. What should church look like today?

Acts 2:42-47 (ESV)

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

They devoted themselves…

proskartereō, to be firm, endure, persevere, remain faithful to a person or a task;

Acts 1:14

14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Acts 2:46 (ESV)

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

Acts 6:4 (ESV)

4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

Willows goal God wants to build his church to be an effective and committed community of faith that reaches out to the hurting world, to be the body of Christ in real tenable ways.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

Because Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, we feel compelled to do the same.

The Mission of Willow Creek Community Church is to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

The Vision of Willow Creek Community Church is to be a biblically functional community of believers so Christ’s redemptive purposes can be accomplished in the world.

YOU: APPLICATION (TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO DO AND WHAT THEY HAVE HEARD)

Conclusion:

Willows goal God wants to build his church to be an effective and committed community of faith that reaches out to the hurting world, to be the body of Christ in real tenable ways.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

The Mission of Willow Creek Community Church is to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

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