The Local Church: Why Bother?

INTRODUCTION

A Christian without a Church is a Christian in trouble.

And yet, in our culture, especially since the 2020 pandemic, there has become growing divide between those who identify as Christians and those who belong to and participate in a local church family.

This divide wasn’t CAUSED by the COVID pandemic but it was accelerated.

Before COVID the number of engaged members in any local church was shrinking year after year. Millions had already silently decided that the local church was no longer really important to their spiritual health and development.

This mindset has grown in recent years.

Even in our own church, the number of people who profess membership compared with those who actually participate in the life of the church grows and grow. On paper it says they’re committed but their practice proves that they not.

It’d be one thing if they moved their membership and plugged into a different community. But for most, it’s a total disengagement from church life all together.

So my goal over the next several weeks is to try and convince you why having a church family MATTERS. It matters. Because a Christian without a church is a Christian trouble. It’s not how God designed our Christian life to be lived.

What Is A Church?

Before you get mad and stop listening all together, the first thing we need to do is define what a church even IS. What IS a church?

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word church? (Building? Program? A group of people?)

Fundamentally the church is not a place and it’s not a building. The Church is a people.

Buildings don’t make a church but they do HOUSE them.

The Church is a gathering of people who gather IN A PLACE.

The Greek word for church is the work “ekklesia.” Its used 114 times in the New Testament and the VAST MAJORITY (93) of those instances refer to the visible gathering of saints in a local congregation. (Corinth, Rome, Ephesus)

Last week we looked at the BFM2K definition for church.

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.

Why Does It Matter?

So what I want to do this morning is answer the question WHY the Church matters.

And by Church I mean BOTH the universal body of Christ AND the visible expressions of that community through local churches like ours.

Typically in our church we preach through books of the Bible and so today is going to be much different in that it’s more topical in it’s approach. But I hope you’ll walk away with a biblical theology for WHY the Church matters to God and why it should matter to you too.

Context to Ephesians

I want to offer up three reasons why the church matters and three things that really matter in the church. Before we do that, though, let’s read our text.

All of those thing fall under one large umbrella and that’s our preaching text for this morning.

The book of Ephesians more than any other book offers a blueprint of God’s design for the local church. It’s maybe my favorite NT book.

In chapter 1 Paul lays out the glory of the Gospel and its vertical implications for our walk with God. (Eph 1:15-19)

In chapter 2 Paul shifts to the horizontal implications of the Gospel, how it reconciles us with one another and creates a supernatural new covenant community called the Church. (Eph 2:18-19)

Finally in chapter 3 you have this doxology and prayer exalting the glory of Christ, God’s purpose in the Church and Paul’s prayer that the Church in Ephesus grow in their knowledge of both. (Eph 3:14-20)

Not A Normal Gathering

Sandwiched between those things is a little section wherein Paul explains and God’s reason for establishing the church in the first place.

Ephesians 3:8–11 (CSB)

8 This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, 9 and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. 10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11 This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Why does the Church matter? The Church matters because it’s God’s PLAN A for finishing his redemptive purposes in Christ.

The Church was in the eternal plan of God. Before time even began! Before God even created this world he envisioned using the redeemed of the world - people like us and churches like ours - to proclaim God’s Gospel and display God’s eternal wisdom.

God was going to supernaturally save a group of people, unite them around the person and work of His Son and display to people, angels and demons his great power and wisdom.

That means the church is not just any gathering. It’s a supernatural divinely inspired gathering. It’s not a homogenous club like a country club or college fraternity. It’s a supernatural fellowship where people from all different backgrounds and ethnicities come together in a common bond and fellowship in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The church is a big Big BIG deal to God. The question is, is it a big deal to YOU? Sadly, I think for so many people the answer is NO.

The Local Church Matters

With the time we have left this morning I want to offer up a few reasons WHY the local church matters and how God accomplishes his redemptive purposes through the church today.

There are obviously MORE than three reasons why the local church matters but it’s at least these three reasons if not more.

Purchased By Christ’s Blood

The first reason the Church matters is because Jesus PURCHASED the church by His blood.

It’s interesting in the book of Acts Paul is speaking with a group of pastors from the Church in Ephesus and he describes their church (and the universal church in general) that precious bride that was bought with the blood of Christ.

Acts 20:28 (CSB)

28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

Paul tells the local church at Corinth to be careful how they use their physical bodies because “they were bought with a price. So glorify God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

Peter expressed to the persecuted Christians scattered throughout Asia

1 Peter 1:18–19 (CSB)

18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb.

Churches matter because Jesus was willing to lay down his life for the Church. They were purchased by his blood!

New Covenant, New Community

These references to blood are not just references to the fact that Jesus died on the cross. There was theological significance to the death of Jesus on the cross. He was completing the requirements of the Old Covenant and establishing something new.

In the Old Covenant, remaining in right relationship with God required an atoning sacrifice. The blood bulls and goats and unblemished lambs reminded God’s people that the wages of their sin was death and separation from God and that a life must be given as a substitute to satisfy the God’s justice and righteousness.

Jesus lived a sinless unblemished life of love and obedience before God the Father so that when he willingly laid down his life on the cross he was becoming OUR substitute and paying OUR sin debt. But unlike the blood of bulls and goats this atoning sacrifice was done once and for all because it was God himself paying the price and mediating a new covenant in the process.

This new covenant was predicted in the OT (Jeremiah 31:31-34) and mediated by Christ himself through his death and resurrection. (Hebrews 8:6-13)

Hebrews 9:15 (CSB)

15 Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

The Church is the community of that New Covenant. Bought with the blood of Jesus. That’s why the church is important.

Continue Christ’s Ministry

The second reason churches matter is because they continue the ministry and presence of Christ on the earth.

Several times in the NT we see Jesus and his church inextricably linked.

There is no category in the New Testament for being united to Christ by faith and NOT being united with the Church he purchased with his blood.

Last week we looked at the conversion of Saul of Tarsus and on the road to Damasus Jesus asks him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting ME?” (Acts 9:4-5)

Why did Jesus say “me” and not “the Church?” Because in Jesus’ mind the Church is the continuation of the ministry of Christ on the earth. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We are Jesus put on display for the world to see.

You also see this dynamic when Paul talks about marriage being a mirror of the relationship between Christ and the Church.

He describes the one flesh union of a man and woman coming together as the same kind of union the Lord Jesus has with his bride the Church.

Ephesians 5:29–32 (CSB)

29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church.

In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul rebukes the Church in Corinth for engaging in unholy sexual behavior with prostitutes because when a Christian has sex with a prostitute the implication is that CHRIST himself becomes one flesh with a prostitute.

1 Corinthians 6:15 (CSB)

15 Don’t you know that your bodies are a part of Christ’s body? So should I take a part of Christ’s body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not!

Time does not permit us to go through every single example but the theology is absolutely clear. We are members of Christ’s body which means the visible church is the visible representation of Jesus Christ on the earth today.

You cannot separate Christ from his Church. It’s not just that Jesus LOVES the church. It’s that Jesus has identified himself WITH the church so that his reputation is inextricably linked with that of any given local church in any given city. That’s why the church matters.

Members of One Another

By the way, our union with Christ is not the only union that takes place when a person becomes a Christian.

The Bible uses many metaphors for the Church. Two very common ones are that churches serve as the BODY of Christ and the HOUSE/FAMILY of God. This implies we’re not just united to Christ in salvation but to one another as well.

When we are reconciled to God through Christ we are made one with him. But that reconciliation also produces a oneness with every other person who’s been made one with Christ.

Adam’s sin broke our relationships with one another. Christ’s death heals our relationships with one another.

Paul describes the Church as “Christ’s Body in 1 Corinthians 12. Not just Christians but the local church that met in that city. It’s not like every Christian acts as their own body of Christ.

That’s not the analogy. The local church membership as a whole acts as the BODY of Christ and every Christian within that church acts as an individual member within that body.

1 Corinthians 12:27 (CSB)

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.

The Household of God

Another analogy used for the Church in the New Testament is that of a family or a house (1 Tim 3:15).

We are adopted into God’s family so God becomes our Father and Jesus our brother. But everyone else “in Christ” becomes a brother and sister as well.

Think of the analogy of a family.

When you get adopted it’s not just that you get a new dad and mom. If that mom and dad have children then you also automatically receive a new brother and sister as well. That’s the way God designed the church.

That’s why the Bible refers to the church as a family or a fellowship. We becomes members of one another. This is why Paul says, “when one member of the body suffers we all suffer.. When one member is honored we are all honored.” (1 Corinthians 12:26)

The reason the NT doesn’t speak of being united to Christ without also being united to other Christians is because being reconciled to God reconciles us with the reconciled.

Refusing to participate in the local and physical expression of that reconciled community may be evidence that you never really experienced reconciliation with God in the first place.

Entrusted With Christ’s Authority

The third and final reason I want to show for why the church matters comes from Jesus’ statement to Peter after Peter makes a proper confession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah.

If you are unfamiliar with the story Jesus had asked his disciples "Who do people say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13)

The answers were varied. Some say John the Baptist. Some say Elijah. Some say Jeremiah or one of the prophets. (Matthew 16:14)

But then Jesus turns the tables and asks, “But who do YOU say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)

Matthew 16:16–19 (CSB)

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.”

Historically there’s been a big debate whether it was just PETER who was given the keys or whether Peter and his confession are a broader representation of Christ’s Church that holds the keys.

I’ve never understood why it has to be either or. It’s pretty obviously both.

The local church is important because she has been entrusted with Christ’s authority on the earth.

Keys were a sign of authority.

Binding and loosing were Jesus’ was of saying “My Church is going to determine who is and who is not in the kingdom.”

Jesus uses this language later in Matthew 18 when he talks about the church exercising discipline on unrepentant members. All of this suggests that Jesus has entrusted his Church with Kingdom authority.

Throughout the book of Acts you see Peter leading the Church and the doors of God’s kingdom being opened to more and more people. (Acts 2 = Jerusalem, Acts 8 = Samaritans, Acts 10 = Romans/Gentiles).

You also see the Church in a general sense take the Gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 13 and beyond).

Keys and Accountability

Key’s don’t just symbolize authority. They also symbolize responsibility. Authority and responsibility go hand and hand. This means churches are accountable to Christ for how they operate and what happens within their fellowship.

The Bible calls this authority and responsibility a stewardship. To be given a stewardship means you’ll be held accountable for how you managed your responsibility.

This is why Jesus has instituted leadership in the local church so that layers of authority and accountability can be established and exercised. We will look at this question later on in our series but the fact that the church has been given Christ’s authority makes the local church a BIG DEAL.

What we are doing here is a BIG DEAL to God. So much so that he has entrusted local churches with his authority to bind and loose the great blessings of the Kingdom for the glory of Christ and the good of his people.

The Church MATTERS to God and it should MATTER to us.

Membership Matters

There are many other things we could say but I want to stop with these three and make a three inferences.

FIRST: If it’s true that the Church has been purchased by Christ’s blood and made members of the New Covenant, it’s crucial that her members be regenerate. (big fancy word that means members of a local church need first experience the miracle of salvation)

SECOND: If it’s true that the Church continues the ministry of Christ and serve as the visible expression of Christ’s presence on earth, its crucial her members be holy. Those who say they’re saved ought to live like it! The theological term for this is sanctification.

THIRD: Finally, if it’s true that the Church carries the authority of Christ then individuals within the church need to accountable. (This happens in the local church through mutual submission to one another and voluntary submission to qualified church leadership)

When you put these things together you see that these key truths about the church require members of a church to be truly saved, progressively sanctified and voluntarily submitted.

If you’ll look again at our definition of the church in the BFM you’ll see references to all three of these things.

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

Of Power and Means

So how do we have a church full of members that are saved, sanctified and submitted to Christ? With God’s supernatural help that’s how.

I want to close our time by showing you how Christ has chosen to help local churches ensure their membership are saved, sanctified and submitted to Christ.

The Lord never gives us a task without also giving us the power and means to accomplish that task.

It may sound odd but the three things Christ has given the church to help her exercise Christ’s authority and continue his ministry on the earth are the ordinances (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), offices (pastors/deacons) Christ’s Spirit and His Word.

We don’t have time to go into each of these things. That’s the purpose for this series. It’s why I need to you watch any sermons you miss in this series.

“The House”

If a church was a house you might think of the ...

ordinances as the doors into the house. (They act as a fence or a gate separating those who are allowed in the house from those who aren’t.)

offices as a roof or the frame. (They help provide structure and stability, safety and protection of those who live inside the house.)

the Holy Spirt as electricity running through the house, (giving life and power to everything with in.)

the Word acts as a light in every room (showing where everything goes and how everything is supposed to work.)

You can see each of these means in the definition above but this vision for the church is not a baptist distinctive. It’s the clear teaching of Scripture.

Over the next several weeks we are going to dive into each of these things and show how this particular local church relates to those four things but this morning we only have time to look at the first and that’s the ordinances.

On The Ordinances

Jesus Christ gave two ordinances to the Church and they are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism and the Lord’s Table have been practiced by every church in every theological tradition in every generation.

We talked about baptism last week and this week we are taking the Lord’s Supper together. So as we prepare our hearts to take the Lord’s Supper I thought it would be good to remind us of why Christ gave us these ordinances.

Usually when we practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper we think about how they “remind us” of Christ’s work on the cross. And that’s true. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are powerful symbolic reminders of what God has done for us in Christ.

But the ordinances were not just given to “remind” us of Christ’s cross. They were also given to restrict and remove godless people from damaging Christ’s Church.

Believer’s Baptism

I tried to show you this last week with the ordinance of baptism. In the New Testament baptism was ONLY GIVEN to those who had professed faith in Jesus as Lord.

Local churches in the New Testament didn’t just baptize anybody. Why? Because in the New Testament when you were baptized you were also being integrated into the life of that local church. Local churches needed some kind of barrier to separate those who were in Christ with those who were not. Baptism was that barrier.

Baptism was a fence on a boundary line that was only given to people who crossed over from darkness into life, unbelief into faith.

Baptism wasn’t given because you attended for a long time or you requested it or you gave a lot of money. Baptism was given because you professed faith in Christ as Lord and demonstrated sincerity in that profession.

A Closed Table

In a similar way the Lord Table was only available to those who were genuinely saved. Church discipline was enforced through the use of the Lord’s Supper.

Once you were excommunicated from the church you were also disfellowshipped from the Lord’s Table. It was the visible means to mark off those who were in from those who were out.

You say, “well that sounds awfully closed minded and judgmental. And to a degree, you’re right. But that’s how God’s Word presents these ordinances. They are the visible means given by Christ to identify His bride.

You can’t have a true church without the ordinances and you cannot practice the ordinances without a true church. They go together by the design and command of Christ.

A Fence and a Door

The ordinances act as a fence and door to protect and preserve the Church of God.

Baptism is a fence or a gate that brings people in. The Lord’s Supper is a powerful reminder of what Christ has done for his Body. But it can also be used as a back door to say to a “so called” believer that their lack of repentance demonstrates a lack of true faith.

I’m not suggesting that the Lord’s Supper can’t be taken by a group of people who are not gathering in a church building. I’m not suggesting that a person’s baptism can only ever be done within the context of a local church.

I am suggesting that those unique exceptions only exist because of the normative rule Christ already established. It was by Christ’s design that baptism and the Lord’s Supper be given to and exercised by His Church.

Conclusion

As we prepare for the Lord’s Table and bring this message to a close I want to challenge you to rethink your relationship with this church.

I want you examine whether or not the way YOU think about this church is the way Christ thinks about His Church.

Jesus LOVES his Church like a groom loves his bride. He is madly head over heels in love with you and he loves Broadview Baptist Church more than any of us can ever begin to imagine.

As we eat the bread and drink the cup let us be reminded that through faith we have been united with Christ and are one flesh with him. But in so doing let us