What Is The Church?

What is the Church?

National Back to Church Sunday

Introduction

Several years ago, I had a conversation with a man in a church parking lot that forever marked me and my beliefs. The church was having a fundraising event for the student ministry outside. Hundreds of people showed up from the community to check things out. One gentleman and I struck up a conversation…I did not know him, nor did he know I was the pastor of the church. As I asked questions about him to get to know him a bit, I came to the key question…do you go to church anywhere?

He proceeded to gush about how much he loves the church (in general). The church is amazing, God’s plan to save the world. Filled with the best people in the world. On and on he went about the greatness and glory of the church. Overwhelmed at such a response, I asked him, “so what church do you attend here in the area?” His response undercut everything he had just said. “Oh, I don’t go to any church on a Sunday. Those are full of a bunch of hypocrites and pastors are just a bunch of swindlers. I just watch videos at home. Sometimes I go to a men’s group that meets in town. After all, that’s church too.”

It took everything in me to not tackle him right there on the asphalt. But I figured that probably wouldn’t help his view of pastors. Here is a man who honestly believes he is a devout Christian, who undercuts the church at every step, believing it to be beneath him. He’s too spiritually mature for the church, after all. He’s so godly, he gets to sit in judgement on the church. And his men’s group, or alone with a computer on his couch…well, that’s church too. No, it’s not.

This kind of goofiness is something I have heard in all settings by all kinds of people. My small group/family/videos/campus ministry…it’s all the church too. All of this comes from a few false beliefs:

- American value of getting to define whatever they want however they want.

- Dismissing the church as if it is some kind of man-made business that is not part of God’s kingdom plan.

- An error-filled, false interpretation of Matthew 18:20 – “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” People rip that verse out of context and decide that whenever two Christians, or a Christian and a computer, gather together, then a church exists in that place. Friends, that is not what Jesus is talking about. Matthew 18 is all about confronting a fellow believer who has sinned against you. Jesus promises to be with you in that challenging moment to help deal with that sin and for you to have the proper response.

We are seeing a fresh wave of this redefining of church happening right now. Due to the quarantine and all churches having to shift to be mostly online for a season, and some still are having to do that, this issue is brought to the forefront. What was intended to be a temporary Band-Aid to help people during the quarantine has become a new way of “doing church.”

With good intentions, we took the idea of online “church” and tempted American consumers with the ability to consume “church.” Now, they can sit on their couch on a Sunday morning, or whenever and wherever it is most convenient, and consume Christian content and call it “church.” We’ve allowed a Band-Aid to become a cure.

So, here is the theological bombshell…online church isn’t church. It is a temporary work-around until much of what is happening in our world is behind us. To those of you watching online, many of you are doing the right and good thing by staying home. If you are more vulnerable to Covid-19 than others, you absolutely need to remain steadfast in your commitment to your safety and health. This online platform is for you. We look forward to having you back in-person when it is safe for you to do so. If you are plagued by anxiety at the thought of leaving your house because you don’t want to get sick, and you’ve consistently practiced this (essentially haven’t left your house since March), this online platform is for you. We look forward to having you back in-person when you’re ready.

However, if you are going to work, getting groceries, going out to eat, kids in traveling sports, going on vacation…but are using the virus as an excuse to skip church, this online platform is not designed for you. The Church is for you. I would encourage you to reevaluate your relationship with the church and ask yourself if you have slipped into some unbiblical ways of thinking about the church. Do you know what happens when you wear a Band-Aid for too long? It rots the skin. Don’t let something that is supposed to be temporary become permanent, simply because it is convenient. I would put our cleaning and disinfecting practices up against any organization in this community. And with our mask-required service at 11am, we are doing as much or more for your personal safety than other places you may go. We love you and care about your soul. And your soul needs the church.

With all the redefining that is happening in our world regarding the church, let’s take a few minutes and define the church, biblically. The Church is not a man-made institution. It was commissioned and championed by Jesus himself.

In the Bible, there are three primary understandings of the church: 1) the local church, 2) the universal Church as she exists around the world, and 3) the Church as she exists throughout time and history, incorporating all the saints who will one day be gathered together in Heaven. Without question, the dominant biblical use is in the reference to the local church, defined bodies of believers that gather together with intent and with order. In fact, the New Testament uses the word “church” 110 times. 93 of those are focused on the local church. The point is clearly established that God places much priority and emphasis on the local church. So should we.

TS – what is the church? 4 C’s to define and describe the Church:

1. COMMUNITY

To be a church, you must be a community of faith. As we’ve talked about before, the word for church is the Greek word ekklesia. It comes from the prefix ek (out) and the verb kaleo (to call). It literally translates as “the called-out ones.” The word was used in Jesus’ day to refer to any group that was gathered together for a specific purpose or mission. Jesus hijacked the term and used it to speak of a group with a very specific purpose and mission, setting it apart from every other group or mission.

The word rightly translates, according to every single Greek scholar on the planet, as “assembly.” A church is a gathering of God’s people. Sadly, the church itself has confused this very issue over the years by miscommunicating its own identity. For decades now we have heard phrases like “you don’t go to church, you are the church,” or “the church isn’t a building, the church is a people.” Now, those statements are true, partially. Yes, you are the church…and you go to church. It’s not an either-or, but a both-and. You are the church in the sense that you are one member of a larger gathering of Christians, but if you don’t go to church, you aren’t the church. Yes, the church is a people, not a building. But the church meets in a building. Because of well-intentioned bumper-sticker theological statements like these, we now find ourselves in a scenario today where we have to convince people who think they are Christians that they actually have to go to church. Being a Christian is about more than attending church, but it is never less than attending church.

The community of faith is to be a community that is united, never divided. Throughout all the New Testament letters, the church is always commanded to be unified.

Ephesians 4:1-6 - I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

We are never to be divided over any factor…race, ethnicity, gender, age, background. But there is one factor that distinguishes the church…it is made up only of God’s people. Those outside the faith are always welcomed and loved. But they are never to be assumed to be part of the church. As a defined community of faith, the New Testament church had clear entrance and exit points. Whether it be baptism to unite with Christ and become part of his body, or through church discipline that helped people see that their faith was false, the NT speaks of those “inside” and “outside” the church. The church is a community.

The whole concept of an “unchurched” Christian is a theological oxymoron. The NT does not know a Christian who is not active in a local church. In the bible, there are no ministries that were not part of a local church’s plan.

2. CONFESSION

The idea of confession here comes from the Greek word homologeo, which means to “say the same thing” or “to agree.” It comes from Romans 10:9-10 that says if you confess Jesus as Lord, you will be saved. When you “confess” you are agreeing, saying the same thing as Jesus does about himself. Just as we are to “say the same thing” as Jesus, the church is to say the same thing about Jesus. Not only is there relational unity in the church, there is to be doctrinal unity in the church.

For the church to be the church, it must be a place where the Bible is proclaimed in all its fullness. Ever since the Protestant Reformation began, scholars have unanimously declared that the number one mark of a church is the preaching of God’s Word. This is why we preach through books of the Bible here. This is why we do small groups and bible studies. This is why we gather in men’s ministry and women’s ministry. This is why your kids go to large group. This is why students gather on Sunday evenings…to offer as many Bible environments as possible.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

We are commanded in Jude 3 to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”

If a Christian Church is anything, it is confessional. The earliest mark of the Christian movement was the clear confession that Jesus is Lord. That has always marked the church and it must continue to mark us.

3. CORPORATE

By this word I do not mean that the church is a business and should function like any other corporate entity. That would be a mistake. The church is unlike any other organization on earth. By ‘corporate’ I simply mean organized. The bible speaks of defined organizational roles, such as pastors and elders. It also speaks of leadership roles related to spiritual gifts, such as teachers and administrators.

Ephesians 4:11-14 - 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 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, 14 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.

The church is to be clearly and confidently led by its leaders. Nowhere does the bible present that the church should be led by the American ideal of a democracy. This is why we don’t do surveys and votes here. Authority is placed by God onto the shoulders of the Elders who oversee and shepherd God’s people. Staff are empowered by, and held accountable to, the elders to administrate the church’s ministries. This structure is in place, as Ephesians tells us, to ensure the God’s people are equipped to serve, and grown to maturity in their faith.

This is why your small group isn’t church. God didn’t give spiritual authority to small group leaders. This is why you on your couch with your computer isn’t church. God hasn’t given you spiritual authority to lead the church. He has given that to the Elders.

4. CAUSE

The church is on a very specific mission, given to us by Jesus himself, to reach out to a deeply fallen world and call it back to God. This involves engaging evangelism with the lost, dedicated discipleship for the saved, and strategic service to those in need.

Matthew 28:18-20 - 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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,20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This cause might be the most defining mark of all for the church. This cause defines the church. This cause describes the church. This cause drives the church. So much so that one theologian said, “The Church does not have a mission; the mission has a church.”

Friends, there is nothing like the church. It alone is God’s design to bring hope to the world. And as defined by the Lord himself, we don’t have the right to change its definition. We don’t get to decide what it is and what it is not. So, what do we do with the church?

- Since the church is a Community, you should actively engage in the life of that community. Only stay home if you must. Engage, not only on Sundays, but join a small group, attend a Bible study, attend a men’s or women’s event. Put your kids in children’s programming. Send your middle school and high school students to youth group on Sunday evenings. Otherwise you are teaching them, and modeling for them that the church doesn’t matter.

- Since the church is Confessional, you should value theology. Learn what the Bible teaches and help teach it to others. 2 Peter 1 says to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge. Declare Jesus to be Lord and agree with him about who he is.

- Since the church is Corporate, you should invite the authority and the affection of the Elders into your life. Welcome their decisions about the betterment of the church and welcome their counsel in your life as they shepherd you to maturity in faith.

- Since the church has a Cause, you should commit to taking your faith to the lives of the people around you. Not only does this church exist to help people find hope in Christ and a home in his church…so do you.

COMMUNION