Who are we?

Intro

Good morning Casey Church, Happy Sabbath. It is so good to see so many of your faces! Without masks!

I’m enjoying so much getting to know you slowly. If I haven’t meet you yet, I’m sorry, come and say hello at the back after the sermon!

Last time I preached, I shared a bit of my story and my struggle with Identity. Today we are going to talk more about identity but as a collective. The identity of the church and why it is so important to know who we are as a church, not just here as Casey Church but in Victoria, Australia, the worldwide church.

Before we start lets pray together.

Why is Identity important?

I was reading an article last week written by Stan Grant (is the Vice Chancellor's Chair of Australian/Indigenous Belonging at Charles Sturt University. One of Australia’s most respected journalists.) In it he was talking about the tragedy that is happening in Ukraine at the moment. Talking about Vladimir Putin he suggests that as the “west” we will never be able to understand what Putin is doing because our culture is so different. We live in a liberal democracy, and it promotes individualism be who you want to be, be you, don’t try to be anyone else. While all of these things are good the questions that Stan Grant asks is, “What binds us?”

His answer is this,

“We appear ever rootless, not rooted.

Not everyone, of course. Roots matter to some, but liberal democracy can leave us unmoored: it hollows out our communities, mocks tradition, banishes faith from the public square.”

He continues with this sentence and this is the kicker.

“Liberalism elevates the individual to the point of alienation.” Patrick Deneen

Alright so there is a lot of big words in all of that. So I want to stop for a second. For Putin invading Russia is not just about gaining more land, it is about his Russian Identity and rebuilding Russian empire and pride. He looks at the west and sees individualism as a weakness. And this war is an issue about his identity as a Russian. Now I don’t want to talk about anymore politics, but I want to ask that while I can condemn the war happening right now enough and can’t say how much it breaks my heart to see the suffering that is happening. I want to ask if there is maybe just a small amount of truth to the criticisms that have been put forward. How often do we hear of stories of people who are lonely because they lack community, how often do we hear of stories of people who are mocked because of their faith or because of how they follow a tradition. People who are on the outer of society because they don’t feel like they have a place to fit in. Maybe that is you today, maybe you are lonely, feel alienated, and like there isn’t a place for you. This is why identity is so important. Not just as an individual but why as a community Identity really truly matters. Because it is a place where you can be apart of something that is more than just ones self. When we are together knowing what our collective identity is, being able to answer the question, Who are we? is so important because it creates the basis of what we are going to be able to do. Whether we are a community that participates, engages and loves or one that sits idly waiting for someone else to do it. Working out what our idenitty is as a community is so important because it can either be so powerful in deciding what our actions are.

What is our identity?

Are we as a church rooted or anchored. I think however, to understand who we are we need to go back to when the church was formed. So come with me in your Bibles to Acts 2:42-47

Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

I believe that this passage has everything to give us a good base in what our identity of the church should be. Because it gives us an insight to what the early church felt their identity was.

Devoted to the apostles teachings

It doesn’t say they devoted themselves to the apostles, it says to they devoted themselves to the apostles teachings. The word devote interests me because while I know it, I didn’t really fully understand what it means to be devoted, It is a word that is often said at weddings and its kind of important but what does it actually mean? The greek word προσκαρτερέω (proskartereo) means to attach oneself to or busy oneself with.

The first believers in the early church attached themselves to the teachings of the apostles, they made themselves busy with it. When I think of attaching to something or making myself busy with something, it’s an action, it is not passive. The early church lived out the teachings of the apostles, which are the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. So the first part of our identity is that our faith should not be passive but rather lived out in action.

Fellowship and eating together

Church I know Casey Church understand this one, Fellowship with food! Amen. This is obviously important for the early church because Luke the author of Acts mentions it twice. Food is such an important part of the culture of the early christians. Eating together was an important part of their lives. True bonding happened over food, and that is still true today. When you have someone come into your home, your castle, or when you enter someone else's to break bread together, you are opening a very special part of yourself to someone else. When you sit around a table and get to know someone else it is hard to say they are anything other than a friend. Think of the story of Elisha in 2 Kings 6. The king of Syria gets upset and frightened of the prophet of God when word gets to him that things that he is saying in private Elisha is telling the Israelites while not having ever met. So gives the order to go to the city where Elisha is to capture him. As the Syrian army came close Elisha prayed that God strike them with Blindness. All of a sudden this army start stagering around aimlessly. So Elisha goes down to the army that have been tasked with his capture and says, No no you are walking the wrong way, follow me and I will lead you to the city and the person you are after.” Once the whole army are in the city, Elisha prays for their eyes to be opened so they can see where they are. They are in the middle of Samaria the capital of Israel. Surrounded by chariots and archers. Imagine the fear of these poor soldiers. First they are given the task of going to simply capture a single man, if they had to, destroy a town. But all of a sudden they go blind, out of nowhere, and then when they, out of nowhere again, regain their sight they are surrounded by people ready to kill them. However, this is how Elisha dealt with the situation. Read with me in 2 Kings 6:21-23

2 Kings 6:21–23 ESV

As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?” He answered, “You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.” So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.

They sat and fellowshipped and ate together, in the culture of the time, if you sat and ate with someone it was the equivalent to a peace treaty. Israel didn’t hear from them again. So the second part of the identity of the early church and what I believe we should adopt is that, A church that eats together stays together.

Praying together

The early church members prayed together. Prayer is such a vital part of the spiritual health of a church. Why? That is when we communicate with our God, Ephs 6:18 says,

Ephesians 6:18 ESV

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,

Supplication is another word that I don’t really understand but means to pray with urgency, for God to meet a need. Coming from a place of humility that God will address the prayer you have bought to him. And church I tell you right now we are so blessed to live in this time. Before Jesus came to earth to connect with God, to ask for forgiveness of sins, to pray to God it had to be done for you by a priest. Today because of the Holy Spirit and the act of Jesus dying on the Christ we have direct access to heaven. For the majority of human history that has not been possible for the average human. We are so blessed to be able to prayer to our father in heaven. The early church did this and understood this. It was brand new for them, no longer needed priest to do it on their behalf. I wonder sometimes church if we forget how lucky we are to be able to pray. So I propose that the third part of our identity should be, Casey Church is a church who prayers regularly together, humbly and earnestly asking for God to address our needs.

Giving to all, as any had needs

The early church sold their possessions and then distributed the proceeds to any, if they needed it. There is no caveat or conditions to that, but to any, if they were in need. I want to tell you about Vincent Marychurch.

Vincent lives in Lismore and is used to having floods. They are not a new thing to Lismore. Vincent however says that this flood has been like no other, smashing the record for the height of any other flood. (See photo on the screen) Vincent got his boat and decided to leave his home at 4:30am to get to higher ground. As he starts to leave his home he could see a torch on the other side of the street. In Vincent’s words, “"There was an old bloke standing on a chair up to his chest in water. He was the first one. I took him to a higher house.”

He recalls the blood curdling screams for help as he started rescuing others.

“"And then lady on breathing apparatus, one on dialysis, an amputee, 85-year-old bloke who was up to his neck, had to smash a window to get him out.”

The water was flowing so fast in parts he couldn’t risk going near it, he was risking his own life, but he was the only boat in the area because emergency services couldn’t safely get in themselves. Vincent ended up saving somewhere between 30 and 50 peoples lives. He served, whether or not he is a christian he was the hands and feet of Jesus to the community for those few dozen people. Service to others! If you want to hear more about this story come and see me after and I will send you a link to an interview that he did. It is powerful stuff.

I want to show you another photo. This time we go further north, to Murwillumbah. The photo on the screen is the Adventist church in Murwillumbah on Monday. Completely flooded. I encourage you at some point this afternoon get on their facebook back and have a look at the pictures. Once the waters submerged and they could get into the church it showed fridges knocked over, the church library ruined, and inches of mud on the ground. The church for all intent and purposes is ruined. However, this week they have ripped up carpet and started the massive clean up job. This morning, Probably right they are meeting together on the concrete in their church. The thing that blows me away is that this church community this afternoon, are taking their tools and shovels and going out into the community to help anyone they can. The members of this church are probably hurting themselves, have huge clean up jobs themselves. However, this afternoon they are putting that aside and going to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their community. Not with a caveat or terms of conditions but to any that have need.

The 4th part of the early church identity and what I think should be apart of ours is unconditional service to others.

Luke finishes this passage by saying “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Honestly Church I’m not surprised, because the church that we have described is one that excites me. It is a beautiful picture.

We all have part to play

I want to read one more passage that I think completes our picture this morning of the identity of the church. The passage was already read for us so beautifully but I want to read it again. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 12:20-27

1 Corinthians 12:20–27 (ESV)

As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Here Paul is using the human body as an symbol as what the church should be like. Saying that everyone has such an important role. Speaking about how for the dishonourable parts of our body we treat with more care and modesty. Which is how we should treat the suffering and trampled on people of society. Giving them honor and love. Rejoicing as one and suffering as one. It is a beautiful picture of what the church should look like. And we could spend our whole time together in this passage. However, I want to propose that this is how the early church, functioned. Everyone had a role, and they played that role humbly to the best of their abilities for the sake of the kingdom. So my 5th point today is that, each individual of a church has a crucial role to play.

So lets recap, our 5 points.

1. our faith should not be passive but rather lived out in action

2. A church that eats together stays together.

3. a church who prayers regularly together, humbly and earnestly asking for God to address our needs.

4. unconditional service to others.

5. each individual of a church has a crucial role to play

Heres the kicker church family, no where to I see anything about a building or walls. Don’t get me wrong, having a building is a fantastic why to base a lot of these ministries out of. But a building only becomes a church when a group of believers move in. With out it, it is an old derelict gym. I know it is said a lot, That the church is the people not the building. But so often, sadly, the list of things above is only thought about on a Sabbath morning. My faith is lived out in action because I did the welcome at church, I ate with my fellow members are church lunch today, I prayed with my fellow brothers and sisters today during sabbath school and church, I served to anyone that walked through the door this morning, I greeted them and made sure they felt welcome. I played my crucial role today at church. I want to be clear, these are incredibly important parts of the church and I don’t want to take anything away from that, however, if it stops when our church program ends then we have a problem. Church should be every day of the week. Our faith should be actioned every day, we should regularly eat with our brothers and sister, new and old outside of church potluck. We should pray with one another, starting with our families every day. We should be serving others every day, unconditionally, not because we want them to come to church but because we are the hands and feet of Jesus to the community. Your crucial and important role to the church does not start and end when you arrive and leave the church building every week.

I believe that at the core of the identity of the church is the 5 points above, could you add more? Of course! But I believe it is a good place to start; I pray that as you look at the 5 points you can see our church at Casey in it. And if not what can we do to make sure that we are. Remembering that church is not just on Sabbath but everyday. So the challenge I want to leave with each of us today is a question. Everyday this week, I challenge you to start it by asking, How can I be the church today? Put it on the fridge, on the wall at the end of you bed, in you car, wherever you can see it. How can I be the church today? Amen