What is the church (English powerpoint slides)

 

What is the church?

I love the church. The universal church through all of time and space, worshipping and rejoicing in Jesus. And this local expression of the universal church here at Rock.
Because we are sinners, church is sometimes painful. But because the Spirit is in us, it is often joyous, uplifting, and a taste of Heaven.
“If you don’t like the church, you won’t like Heaven!” – Justin Mote

Over the next few weeks we will be seeing what the Bible says about church. Today we’ll look at 6 pictures of church.
1. The first “congregation”: Israel in the desert before the Mountain of God: God’s people gathered to hear God’s Word
2. The bride of Christ: We, God’s people, obey our loving husband
3. The body of Christ: We, God’s people, obey our head, Jesus
4. Temple: Our foundation is Jesus and His Word
5. Family: God is our Father and we listen to Him
6. Flock: We listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd

What is the church?

1. The church is God’s people gathered to hear God’s Word
The Bible’s word for church is ekklesia (Greek, Hebrew: qahal), meaning “gathered for a purpose”.
So is meeting someone from church at the shops… church? Or meeting a friend to read the Bible? Or a music practice?
In one sense, yes, because we are the church. But also, no. Because the church is gathered to hear His Word. (A church also has leaders)

The first “church” in the Bible is Israel before God. Acts 7:38 Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us.
Read Ex 19:1-3 & 20:1-3
God rescued them from slavery in Egypt, gathered them as a people, and spoke His Words to them.
As for us: rescued from slavery to sin, gathered into a church, to hear His Word.

 

What is the church?

A church is God’s people gathered to hear God’s word, the Bible.
Therefore a church that does not listen to and obey God’s Word is not a church!
A Christian who refuses to listen to God’s word is not a Christian.
Because Christians listen to and obey God.
Don’t misunderstand – there is grace for sinners like us! We all struggle to listen to and obey Him. We are saved by grace, not effort.
BUT – a Christian is one who loves the Lord and obeys His Word.

Our culture is full of words without power. God’s Word has power. His Word creates and sustains the church.

 

What is the church?

2. The Bride of Christ: We, God’s people, obey our loving husband
Read Rev 21:2-3 God with His people!
And marriage is given to us to reflect that.
Eph 5:22–26 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Saviour of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ
loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make
her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s
word.
Debby is the church. I am Jesus. When you look at me you
should see how Jesus loves his church. And in Debby how
the church loves and submits to Jesus.
My job is to v26 – wash her with the Word.

 

What is the church?

3. The body of Christ: We, God’s people, obey our head, Jesus
Eph 4:11–16 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ…
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Each of us has a role to play. Church is not a religious shop. We are not consumers: I’ll come if it suits me, I’ll serve if I want, I’ll participate as long as I agree with things.
This is an immensely selfish and sinful attitude.

What is the church?

Brothers and sisters, you ARE the church. You are under authority. You are called to serve and love the brothers when you feel like it AND when you don’t.
The church is not about YOU!
It is about the Lord Jesus, and we are to serve and love Him by serving and loving each other.
Then the body grows v16.

And how does our head lead us? He gives us apostles
and prophets (the Bible) and evangelists
and pastor-teachers.
Jesus leads His body through His Word.
It is His Word that sets free the gifts we have all been given.

What is the church?

4. Temple: Our foundation is Jesus and His Word.
Eph 2:19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.

We are the Temple built on what? The foundation
of the apostles and prophets (the Bible).
(Note: some call themselves prophets or apostles
today – they are not our foundation. They are
often false teachers).
The cornerstone is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So a church is a place where the gospel is central, celebrated, and rejoiced over. Where Jesus and His wonderful Cross is the focus.

What is the church?

5. Family: God is our Father and we listen to Him.
The Bible is full of this picture. We call God Father!
Jn 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments….
21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” …. 23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my
own. What I am telling you is from the Father who
sent me.

Jesus makes clear the link between being a child of
God, and obeying the Word of God.
If God is your Father, you love Him and obey His Word.

What is the church?

6. Flock: We listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd
Why is God’s word so central to this thing called church?
John 10:3–4 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.
Jn 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.”

You’re here today because you hear His Voice.
You’re not here because of me!
You hear the Good Shepherd.
He is the Word (John 1) – and His Word brings life. .

 

What is the church?

Application 1: listen to God.
None of this pictures of church say that we don’t need to listen to God’s word!
The mountain: God’s commands.
The bride obeys her husband.
The body is controlled by the head.
The family: the children listen to Dad.
The Temple rests on the foundation.
The flock: the sheep know the shepherds voice.

So what do we do when God says something we don’t like?

We avoid it. Just don’t read those parts of the Bible we don’t like!
This is why we go through different books in the Bible.

We make up another God.
Which Jesus do you serve? An imaginary one – or the real one. Do you let your view of Jesus be changed by the Word of God?

What is the church?

We tone it down. We have heard many a devilish tongue say to us “less gospel” “not so much about sin” “more about us”. A God for the 21st century Norwegian.
That is to compromise with the world. Israel did that in the Old Testament. How well did that work?

We can either submit to all of God’s Word
or disobey him.
There is no middle ground.

Application 1: we listen to and obey God even when he says things we don’t like

What is the church?

Application 2: the church is counter-cultural. Live like it.

In a culture which prizes self-rule, we submit! To the Word, the elders, to each other! Crazy.

In a culture which says honour yourself, never admit fault, excuse your mistake, blame others – we come to confess our sins!

In a culture which says if it doesn’t spark joy, cut it out. We come to the Lord who blows our minds with the love he shows us!

In a culture where forgiveness must be earned – we come to the Cross where the price is paid and forgiveness is freely given.
Dear Christian, you are totally forgiven, all your sins wiped out.

In a culture which says “look out for number 1” – we are called to serve each other!

The church is an amazing picture of Heaven! What a counter-culture!

What is the church?

So don’t be surprised when the world opposes you. Even other churches or Christians oppose you – because they have compromised with the world.
We are called to be different. To obey the Lord. To love, to serve, to submit, to rejoice, to forgive, to be merciful.
And sometimes that means we stand alone.

The church is God’s people gathered around God’s word.
Application 1: listen to God.
Application 2: the church is counter-cultural. Live like it.