Neighborhoods & Nations: Church

This is the manuscript for the sermon I preached at West Bradenton Baptist Southside on Sunday January 12th, 2020.
 
Last week we began our new series titled “Neighborhoods and Nations”.  This five week series is designed to help us look at and talk about the calling God has placed on us individually and as a church and how we can effectively be a neighborhood church for the nations.  As I mentioned last Sunday, West Bradenton Southside’s primary objective is to be “A church who glorifies God in all we do.”  Today as we continue, I will talk specifically about Church.  I will talk about what Church is and what the church is not, how the church is a local and global organization, what a God glorifying church looks like, and conclude with three reasons why Jesus established the Church.

God’s Church is not a place.           
Church≠ Building + Clergy + Program.  The church is not an organization or a building with the Pastor as the CEO, the members as the employees and the product as clever gimmicks, and a plethora of programs designed to keep members busy and happy.  The church is not designed for consumerism where the job of church leadership is to craft and create a program or experience for people to consume and be entertained in the name of Jesus.  This quote from Pastor John MacArthur says it perfectly, “So, when you look for a church, look for a church where preaching centers on God, on His Glory, and not you.  Where God is constantly being exalted.  Look for a church that exalts Christ, not where they sneak him in here and there.”

The Church is a people
Church = Body (people) + Mission (our objective) + Kingdom (God’s plan)
The Bible is specific in telling us the Church is THE BODY of Christ (His people) and this body (believers) is intended to glorify God and bring the Gospel message locally and to all nations.
 (Read I Corinthians 12:12 – 27)

The Apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Corinthians and in this passage, he describes the body of Christ, or the Church body, as a living organism (singular) made up of many individual parts (plural).  Paul uses the human body as an analogy to show how the Church body should function the same way as our own physical bodies.  Our bodies have many parts (or members) and they have specific functions.  The eyes are for seeing, the ears are for hearing and the nose is for smelling etc.  Likewise, the Church (body of Christ) has many parts and each part has a specific function.  In verse 17b Paul writes, “God arranged the members of the body, each one of them, as he chose.”  And he writes in verse 27, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”  Let’s pause for a moment.  What does Paul mean when he writes, “God has arranged the members as he chooses” and “You are the body of Christ.”?  Paul says that the Church is made up of people.  When I speak of members of individuals, I am not merely speaking of people who have attended a membership class or have a little piece of paper that says they are members of such and such church. I am referring to individuals who are born again believers in Jesus Christ and have an active role in the Church body.  The word “member” in this passage is derived from the Greek word Melos which is translated as someone who is part of a larger unit.  If you are a believer, then you are part of a larger unit called the body of Christ whether you have a certificate or not.

The Church is both local and global
When we talk about the church, we are not talking about an organization, but we are talking about a large living organism.  It is believed that there are over 2 billion Christians on this planet.  Now this includes people who would identify themselves as Christian.  This is the whole of Christianity… all denominations.  Since we live in the United States, I think we sometimes unintentionally forget that the church is both a local and global organism.  We must be willing to look past the truth that the church exists beyond the West and English-speaking people.  We see the expansion of Christianity throughout the globe from Roman governed Israel to Europe.  From Asia to the Middle East.  From South and Central America to North America and beyond.  When we look at the whole of Christian history can see how God has moved across the globe among the family of Christian believers.  Thus, the church is universal in the sense that there are Christians all over the world and the way people worship varies from region to region, country to country and culture to culture.  However, the universal church is made up of a conglomeration of local churches.
While it is important for the church to have a global mindset, we must also acknowledge and understand the importance of the local church as well.  The New Testament continually emphasizes the importance of local congregations.  We read this is Hebrews 10:24 – 25, “And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

What Does a God Glorifying Church Look Like?
There is no such thing as a perfect church, congregation or pastor.  The only perfect thing about the church the is the Head; who is Jesus Christ.  Since both sinners and redeemed sinners make up the she will always be imperfect. So, the best we can do is look at the early church as our model and example so we can glean insights and characteristics as to what a God glorifying church should look like. 

Read Acts 2:42 – 47
There are four characteristics I found in this passage that hopefully and prayerfully will inspire us as a church and as individuals to become the God glorifying church that God wants us to be.   

1. Founded and Grounded in God’s Word

The 3,000 plus believers that made up the early church devoted themselves to the teachings of the Apostles.  Now, remember there was no physical Bible that early believers of the day had.  They didn’t have the convenience and privilege of bringing their Bible to worship with them like we have today.  In the church’s infancy there was a common agreement of what O.T. Scriptures were inspired and recognized as sacred.  In addition, the early church taught the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus as Scriptural and divine.  The Apostles told of their adventures with Jesus and His teachings thus their words were regarded just as highly.  The early church was dedicated to the teaching and study of Jesus and God’s Word and according to 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”   A church that glorifies God is always going to be a Bible believing and Bible studying church.  They will be a congregation who hungers for, is transformed by and lives according to the Word of God.  If the Spirit of God is present in you then you will certainly be drawn to and hunger for His word.  It is necessary for a healthy Church to value, teach and study the Word of God.

1. Inward Focused This church devoted itself to fellowship.  Fellowship is one of those words we use often but rarely define what it means.  We often mistake fellowship as that time we spend with each other before or after church in the foyer or back of the sanctuary talking about current news events, sports, or how good or bad the sermon was.  The word “fellowship” is taken from the Greek word Koinoinia which is an act of holding something in common or a having a common fellowship.  The early church had a common bond through Jesus Christ.  They had fellowship with Christ and true fellowship with one another.  So, naturally their fellowship included worship and communion as verse 42 states.  However, their fellowship went beyond just hanging out and attending church together; if you look at verses 44 and 45 they say, “Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.  They sold their possessions and properties and distributed the proceeds to all, as he had need.”  Their fellowship included generosity and meeting the needs within the body of Christ.  They didn’t do this because it was required of them, instead they gave because they were transformed by the Holy Spirit and they were generous with each other because they understood the generosity of God.  God had been generous with them, so they were generous to others.  Their fellowship went beyond going to church; they were involved in other believers’ lives and their needs.  James Montgomery Boice wrote, “If you find yourself out of fellowship with God, you will begin to find yourself out of fellowship with other believers…But if you come close to God, you will inevitably find yourself being drawn to other Christians.”  True Christian fellowship should be a high priority of a healthy Church.
   
   
2. Outward Focused The above passage doesn’t necessarily say that the church went out evangelizing,  but it does say that “The Lord added to their numbers daily.”  But the fact remains the early church were telling others about Jesus because the church was growing.  Not only did this community share its possessions but it also shared the message of hope and salvation.  We possess the greatest news of all time… The Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is a message that should be proclaimed and proclaimed boldly and often.  The end-result of sharing Gospel was people came to faith in Jesus Christ.  Sharing the Gospel message (evangelism) of Jesus Christ (His life, death and resurrection) is an important message that needs to be heard and Jesus Christ has appointed us as his instruments to get this message out.
   
   
3. Prayer: The Glue That Binds Us Together  There is a saying, “A church that prays together stays together.”  Certainly, this was a church that prayed both corporately and privately.  As believers we must understand the importance and value of prayer and then do it.  Not only are we to pray but we are to pray believing prayers.  We must expect results when we pray.  Prayer must be a discipline that we never overlook.  We need to continue to pray for one another for wisdom, healing, encouraging others in need, worship God, and we need to intercede for others.  Prayer is our direct communication with God.  It is essentially our lifeline.

 
Three Reasons Why Jesus Established the Church[1]
Jesus did not establish the church because He needed us finish the work that He started. He did not establish the church for His people to have a place to go on Sundays, and He did not establish the church because He needed an institutional organization to keep His people in line.  He established His church for a much bigger picture.  Here are three reasons He established His Church.

1.  To Display God’s Wisdom
   1. Ephesians 3:10 – 11 “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.”
2. To Display God’s Love
   1. John 13:34 – 35 “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
   2. When the Church loves as Jesus loves, we are showing others the love of Jesus Christ.
3. To Display God’s Oneness
   1. John 17:20 – 23, “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. 21 May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be[a] in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. 22 I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.”
   2. Since Jesus and God are one, Jesus prays for His church to display this same oneness.  When Christians commit to love one another, encourage one another, and instruct one another they in turn display God’s glory for all to see.
      
      

In Conclusion, I would like to read a lengthy quote from Pastor Mark Dever that sums up this message as he writes in his book WHAT IS A HEALTHY CHURCH, “God created the world and humankind to display the glory of is who he is.  Adam and Eve, who were supposed to image God’s character, didn’t.  Neither did the people of Israel.  So, God sent his Son to image his holy and loving character and to remove the wrath of God against sins of the world.  In Christ, God came to display God.  And in Christ, God came to save.
Now the church, which has been granted the life of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, is called to display the character and glory of God to all the universe, testifying in word and action to his great wisdom and work of salvation.
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Friend, what are you looking for in a church?  Good music?  A happening atmosphere?  A traditional order of service?  How about:
            A group of pardoned rebels…
            Whom God wants to use to display his glory…
            Before all the heavenly host…
            Because they tell the truth about him…
            And look increasingly just like him – holy, loving, united?”[2]

​[1] Three Reasons… taken and adapted from Dever, Mark Built Upon the Rock: The Church. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012 p. 42 -43

[2] Dever, Mark:  What Is A Healthy Church?  Wheaton, IL:  Crossway Books, 2007, p. 48