What is the Church?

Introduction

Grateful for our teenagers

memorial day moment

Introduction

Thankful for a great team running the service last week

Last week was our final message in our 16 month series on the Gospel Story and how it is intertwined throughout Scripture.

Today we are starting a new series that will last about 10 weeks. I think there is a special day or two in there that might extend it but basically much of our summer will be spent on Rethinking Church as we journey through the book of 1 Corinthians. I’m choosing for us to start this series today rather than next week and I preach a teen focused message today because I believe the topic of this message today will have a great impact on the future of every child in attendance and on every adult in this room and watching online.

In the 1960’s there was a popular saying out there “Yes Jesus, No Church.”

Even today you will hear people you say “You can’t say you love Jesus and not love His church.”

You know, I agree with both these statements.

Why? How can the pastor of a Baptist church committed to reaching people for Christ say he agrees with a statement “Yes Jesus, No Church”

Let’s first ask a question that is important to our understanding of the church and that is the title of todays message

“What is the church”

Did you know that there are many words in the english language that have the same meaning?

Bat, Lead, Clip

What if I were to tell you that church is the same? The word church has at least two meanings when you explore where the word came from AND the greek word used by Jesus and Paul throughout the New Testament.

1 Corinthians 1:1–3 KJV 1900

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: 3 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Cor 1:1-3

Exegete:

Paul is introducing himself he often does to the recipients of this epistle or letter. This is actually the second letter to the church at Corinth he wrote. The 1st has been lost in time and was never considered canonical or Holy Spirit inspired. This letter was written in 55 AD, about 5 years after the establishment of this body of belivers.

He wrote this epistle to address three things: 1. Unity in the Church 2. Immorality taking place in the church 3. Answered a list of questions they had sent him

In the second verse he identifies who he wrote to…The church of God at Corinth.

We are gonig to put our focus on verse 2 today.

I don’t often dive deep on words but I’m going to ask you to stay with me as we take a look at the word church here and the implications of properly understanding its meaning. truly, I belileve a misunderstanding of what Jesus meant when He spoke about church is what has lead to many of the problems we see today in our society.

Alright, now lets start with the greek word for church: Ekklesia

Now, the word ekklesia is used throughout the New Testament and is most often translated as church....however, there are other times in scripture it is translated as an assembly or congregation.

Brittanica would describe it as a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public space.

It is most often associated with political meetings. Does that mean the church as we know it should be political..no. It is Jesus and Paul using the words of the time to describe what was to be grown by Christ.

Ekklesia is simply a group of people with the same thoughts and purpose.

Jesus said where two or three are gathered in my name, I am in the midst of them.

The Ekklesia is not an organization, it is an organism made up of individuals.

Now, what about the other meaning of church. I mean, if that’s what church is then how did we end of thinking of church the way so many do in our society as a building or place to go to?

Great question. The english word church is not a direct translation of of ekklesia. In fact, in english bibles translated prior to the KJV in 1611 to include Tyndales bible, the one he died translating because the Catholic church didn’t want the Word of God in the hands of common man, used the word congregation instead of church.

Where did the word church come from you ask? It’s a translation of a Germanic word: Kirche.

When I looked in a german dictionary online and used google translate to find out what the first definiton given of the word kirche is it read this: Building for Christian Worship.

Now, when Jesus said “Upon this rock I will build my church” Are we supposed to believe he was speaking of a building? Was it to be a place for people to go and worship? Or was it to be a movement defined by the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to die on the cross to fulfill God’s wrath so that we may obtain salvation through faith in Him? I believe it was the latter.

What would this have meant to the Cornithians as they read it?

I first belive that it made this letter personal to them. This letter was not written to an organization that was to adjust their code of ethics or business practices based upon what it said. This was written so that each man, woman, and child would change their lives to be more lilke Christ.

You see our understanding of church effects our interpretation of the Bible.

Illustrate:

How many of you haver ever worked for a company that would hold a meeting and say “Corporate came out with a memo…we now ahve to...”

I know in the Marine Corps, we would often hear from our leadership “The commandant said we....or the company commander wants us too....”

If it was an address to the organization, then the organization would make an adjustment, and I would conform. I might not agree with corporates decision but I want to keep my job. I might not agree with the Marine Corps decision but I didn’t have a choice.

You see, if the letters are written to the church, and we see the church as just the place you go to on Sunday to Worship, then those words aren’t to you as a person, they are to you as a member of an organization and if the organziation makes adjustments because of these letters then you don’t have to because they are to the kirche.

However, when you see the church as the ekklesia made up of people gathering for the same purpose and not an organization then you understand that the gospels, the epistles, and all o scripture is not written to an organization, it is written to an individual that ascribes to faith in Christ.

Argue:

When we understand this biblical version of church and we see the letters of the New Testament addressed to individuals like you and I, we can better understand that what is contained in them is not for an organization but for us as individuals.

Apply:

What does this mean for you and I?

Well, the great cliche that is out there we hear often and I’ve said “Be the church” seems appropraite however trite. Telling you to be the church when you are thinking of a kirche, or organization, doesn’t make sense.

Telling you to be an Ekklesia, as a called out assembly is impossible because you can’t be two people.

How about this; instead of trying to “be the church,” you be a follower of Jesus?

As a person that is following Jesus you will be a person that is loving God and loving others. You will be a person that is gathering with other believers, you will be a person that worships Him, and you will be a person that is a part of an Ekklesia, an assembly of people gathered for a common purpose.

I. My Purpose must be lived out personally and then through the assembly

You see the local church, the local assembly, of believers will only be able to impact the community it works in as much as the individuals in the assembly want to. What do I mean?

I mean I can pray, I can seek vision from God, I can seek to secure partnerships for us to move forward for Christ in Bristol but this isn’t about me as your pastor. This assembly of believers isn’t about Liberty Bapitst. This assembly is about Jesus. It is about people folllowing Him together and working together to glorify God and share the gospel of Jesus.

If the people of this assembly are not pursuing Jesus in their personal lives than this assembly will at best a group of people that like the music and the preaching and at worst a sham full of fake people that profess to know Christ but deny the power of Him because they know His words but don’t know Him.

Paul is writing to a church just like that. A church, an assembly of believers by name, but not in action. Why? Not because an organization had a wrong purpose. Becuase the individuals that made up the assembly weren’t not living for Jesus.

Let’s read verse 2 again

1 Corinthians 1:2 KJV 1900

2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

1 Cor 1:2

Exegete:

To them that are sanctified, called to be saints. This group of people, these individuals and not organzations are identifed not just as an assembly but also as indivduals that are to be sanctified in Jesus.

What does that mean? Does it mean all of the believers at Corinth will be called saints and have people pray to them? No. That’s heretical, heretical means a false teaching.

The word Sanctified means to be set apart and saints is a term Paul used throughout his epistles to describe believers.

To be set apart from what? From the world. That sounds great…what does that Mean? Live like the Amish? No.

First, the New Testament often deals in matters of the heart rather than external. Why? Because God works in the heart and then the external factors are changed as a result.

Often, Christians in churches today can often focus too much on the exterior and seek conformity rather than heart transformations of those who trust in Jesus.

To be sanctified in Jesus means to be set apart in Christ. We are to be growing as believers closer to Him so that we may be more like Him.

Sanctification is the term used to describe the life long journey of growth for a believer as they seek to be more like Jesus.

Discipleship is the term we use to describe the relationship between a 2 beleivers for the purpose of growing them closer to the Lord.

Discipleship is not the process of getting someone to look like, talk like, act like, and make spiritual decisions like you. It is the process of leading them closer to Jesus. It is teaching them the words of Jesus and letting them fall in love with Him. Not teaching them the words of Jesus and expecting them to apply them like you do.

The process of Sanctification comes from our investment into our relationship with God. Now, when I say that there are some of you out there that will think I am talking about reading your Bible and praying daily. Can I bust a bubble? Can I make a statement that might change the way you think?

If you are depending on reading your bible and praying as the only way to invest in your relationship with Christ, you are missing out on a relationship with Jesus.

Illustrate:

Have you ever had your mom or dad give you advice? Teenagers, kids, your mom and dad are giving you advice all the time. “Keep your room clean” “Go to bed early” “Work hard”

That advice might not always be clearly communicated and it may be accompanied with some frustration but nonetheless the advice is solid.

Adults, same to you. People give you advice all the time. Ever been to the gym and somebody who knows more than you comes over and corrects you? Man, at that point it could be the best advice in the world but I bet your not going to recieve it well.

Either way, whether its about keeping your room clean or going to bed early, you hear the words of your parents or those around you.

You can even repeat them. However, you don’t understand them.

No I don’t mean you don’t know what clean is so you have to go back and clean it again. I mean you don’t understand the person saying the words until you follow them.

You see in the beatitudes Jesus says Blessed are the humble, blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are the pure in heart, and blessed are the merciful.

You can read those words, but you don’t understand them until you’ve chosen humility, you chosen to make peace, you’ve chosen to have a pure heart, or you’ve chosen to be merciful.

You can read that there are blessings associated with it but you don’t understand those blessings. Nor can you understand the blesser.

You can hear “keep your room clean” but don’t understand the benefits of a clean space like a lack of anxiety over things that are left out until you clean your room. You can’t understand the benefits of going to bed early and waking up refreshed untily ou’ve done. The same is true that you can’t understand why your parents would tell you these things until you’ve done it. Once you do these things you understand they love you and just want the best for you.

When you obey God and see the belssings of being humble, pure in heart, and so on, you know Him more.

Argue:

The experience of obedience does not trump scripture though. We can’t begin to determine who God is by experience alone. We determine who God is based upon who He says He is and experience Him and His character, His love, His grace, and His justice as we live for Him.

You can’t say “I was humble and God gave me $500. The blessings of being humble must be $500.” That’s called eisegesis and it’s wrong.

You can say “In choosing to be humble I saw God work in my heart and the heart of the person I was interacting with in this way.” Does that mean it will always be that way? The blessings of God are not distrubuted universally.

As an example there are some Christians who have thier children in church every single week and never miss an opportunity to be at the building, but their children walk away from the Lord. I believe this is another example of why it is important to understand that the church, the kirche and the ekkllesia, are not how you live for God. They are not the means by which you are sanctfied.

You are santified by the blood of Jesus and His death burial and resurrection.

Apply:

If I am sanctified by Jesus then I am not seeking to be more like another brother or sister in Christ. I’m not looking to adopt their convictions as my own. I’m seeking to be a loving follower of Jesus.

If I am sanctified in Christ and I’m discipling someone, then the purpose of my discipleship, the purpose of me being apart of an ekklesia is not to have everyone look like me, talk like me, and act like me. It’s for me to help lovingly lead them into a stronger relationship with Christ.

I read a quote the other day by my friends Josh Teis:

“When walking out of church… …if you love the pastor more, you’ve heard a talented presenter. …if you love yourself more, you’ve heard a motivational speaker. …if you love the Lord more, you’ve heard a gospel preacher.”

The same is true in our individual relationships. If they love us more, then we are a talented person, if they love themselves more then we have motivated them, but if they love Jesus more…then we are teaching the gospel to them.

II. Sanctification is about becoming more like Christ, Discipleship is leading others to be more like Christ, not me.

This is why I think it’s important to have a number of people trained and ready to disciple someone. People from all different walks of life. This is why we provide many small groups throughout the year taught by different people with studies that change each quarter so we can provide the opportunity for people to grow closer to Jesus in all areas of life.

I’m excited for our next set of groups that starts June 29th.

Our groups are where you will grow closer to God and each other. Sunday morning is meant to help Connect believers and unbelievers alike to God. Without a small group or assembly of believers in your life you miss out on the intimate connection to others and the great benefit of having people to count on and guide you.

This Sunday morning service resemble more of the kirche, however the small groups are more like the ekklesia I believe Jesus intended.

In closing today I want to ask 2 questions.

First, With what we have seen this morning…What role should the organization (or Kirche) of the church play in the life of the ekklesia and individual believer?

It would be easy for us to dismiss our system of kirche for the organic ekklesia that Jesus speaks of.

However, I believe what we have seen develop over time as kirche, is not a hinderance to an ekklesia, it is a help to it.

First, when there was no formalized church system, there was much persecution and no way of having large scale impact. Second, our culture has come to accept the formalized…not formal but formalized…church and even in a less than christian culture it has more opportunities to thrive than a less organized group.

The downside to what we have in our society today is that many believers relegate their responsibility to the Lord, to the church and live it out through the kirche. Many look to what we define as church as the source of their spirituality and Chrisinaty. This might be the intent of kirche, a formalized system, however, it is not the purpose of ekklesia.

The purpose of ekklesia, the assembly, is to assemble men, women, and children of like faith and practice to worship the Lord collectively and they impact the assemblly because of their own relationship with God.

The kirche that we have here in Liberty Baptist Church as an organization is the channel through which you have the opportunity to have ekklesia and live out your Christianity in a larger scale way.

III. The Kirche exists in our culture not to be the source of your Christianity, but one of the many channels you live out your Christianity as an Ekklesia

Christians, don’t just go to church…don’t be the church…Be a follower of Jesus and bring people with you to Him.

The Second and last question I want to ask this morning is to anyone here that hasn’ trusted in Jesus as your Savior.

the explination I’ve given this morning focused a lot on those who are apart of a church or an assembly. Maybe you are here today and think “I don’t beleive this way…can I keep coming? Can I be apart of what’s happening.” Yes you can. Any one and every is welcome here.

can you be apart of what is happening here? You can see what God is doing the lives of believers and the lives of our community as we seek to take the gospel to 127,000 that are within a 20 mile driving distance.

However, until you have faith in Jesus you will always feel like an outsider. You will feel like yo don’t belong. I dont’ want you to feel that way. I want you to know I love you. I want you to know Jesus loves you. I want you to know you don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to dress like me or anyone else here, you don’t have to always smile and you don’t have to be without sin in your life to know Jesus.

Jesus died to fulfill God’s wrath so that you could trust in Him as your savior.

If your here today and would like to trust in Jesus I’d like to invite you to do so.

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