Church 101: A Beginners guide to Church
Part 1 - The Basics of Church
Michael Dusing, it an article about the church wrote,
“An area of Christian theology often minimized and taken for granted is the doctrine of the Church. In part, this is due to the common assumption that some areas of theological study are more essential to salvation and the Christian life (e.g., the doctrines of Christ and salvation) and others are simply more exciting (e.g., manifestations of the Holy Spirit or the doctrine of last things).”
Tonight we begin a series of studies we are calling CHURCH 101: a beginners guide to church
The purpose of this study is not to discuss deep theology or doctrine as it relates to the church
Rather it is to look at how the church plays an integral part in the lives of believers on a daily basis
Matthew 16:18 – “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (NIV)
Matthew 16:18 – “I will build my church; and all the powers of hell shall not prevail against it.” (LB)
Some initial observations about the church…
1. It’s origins are divine
It is built by Christ
“I will build”
It is not a organization built by humanity to meet our social needs
2. It’s nature is divine
It belongs to Christ
“my church”
3. It’s power is divine
“all the powers of hell shall not prevail against it”
It reflects the power of Christ to overcome death and hell
4. It’s future is divine
“hell shall not prevail against it”
What is the Church?
If we are looking for a good Webster’s type definition then a good one would be,
“The Church is God’s creation and design; it is His method of providing spiritual nurture for the believer and a community of faith through which the gospel is proclaimed and His will advanced in every generation.”
When Jesus said, “I will build my church” he used the Greek word ekklesia the first time in the New Testament
That word comes from two other words
ek – meaning out or out of
kaleo – meaning to call
ekklesia, then, came to denote a group of people called out and assembled for a specific purpose (religious or otherwise)
The English word “church” and its related cognate term originated from the Greek word kuriakos, “belonging to the Lord.” and came to designate the place where the ekklesia met for worship
So then the church is a group of people called out of a life of sin and death and into a life that belongs to the Lord and regularly gathers with the intention of worshiping, discovering and doing the will of God, which is to influence the world for his kingdom.
The church then is an influencing agent for God.
So the question remains, “What does all that do for me on Tuesday afternoon?” “How does church influence the rest of my life in more than a theoretical way?”
Those are valid questions because, lets face it, life is hectic
And on Tuesday or Thursday or Friday or another day for that matter, it’s hard to remember anything about Sunday Morning at church
Let alone reflect the image of Christ to the world
But before going any farther let me say this…
The Church, while created by God, is populated by people
In other words, you will always be able to find people in the church who have done or will do stupid things
I run into people all the time that tell me they don’t go to church because it’s filled with hypocrites
Actually, it’s simply filled with imperfect people who act in accordance with their imperfections
Don’t expect this or any church to treat you perfectly because no one is capable of doing that
You can expect the church to do it’s best to relate to you the love of Christ and the grace He offers, but it will do it imperfectly.
We have to be willing to look beyond the imperfections of people and see the perfect messiah that they represent
That said, there are several things you will find in church that will help you successfully navigate everyday life
1. You will find fellowship
The church is a community of people who gather around a common interest with a common purpose
That interest is Christ and that purpose is to represent him as best they can to you and the rest of the world
Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another”
When we stop going to church we loose contact with God’s people…fellowship suffers
And one of the benefits of fellowship is that it give us opportunity to encourage one another.
Life is hard sometimes.
And it’s especially hard when you have to go through it alone
Throughout life, you will find yourself in situations that are best faced with someone by your side to encourage you.
The apostle Paul was good at this encouraging thing
In Acts 27 he was on a boat crossing the Mediterranean Sea when they hit a storm
Everyone was afraid they were going to sink and die
So Paul stands up and says, “22 I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.”
Being around God’s people allows you to build a network of associates that will come along side of you in hard times and encourage you
Talk about a cure for common loneliness
Millard J. Erickson wrote, “the Christian life is not a solitary matter. Typically, in the Book of Acts, we find that conversion leads the individual into the fellowship of a group of believers. That collective dimension of the Christian life we call the church.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11, “So encourage each other to build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
And that leads into the next thing you will find in church
Besides finding fellowship…designed to encourage us when times are hard
2. You will find help in times of need
The last part of Acts chapter 2 says,
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer … Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people”
It also says,
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”
One of the functions of the church is to help the people of God when they are in need
We have a food pantry here at the church to help those who are in need
And just about every week someone comes in for help and usually they don’t have a church home.
Nevertheless, they know that the church is a place where they can find help
But if they were part of a body somewhere, they would be able to find that help within that body
We will help anyone who needs it.
But when someone who has been faithful to church
That we know
Who has broken bread with us and prayed with us and worshipped with us
Finds themselves in need
Then it’s no holds barred
The point is that each of us will find ourselves in need at some point
And if we have been a part of the church, there will be help to spare,
Financial help
Spiritual help
Material help
So in the church you will find fellowship, help and…
3. You will find spiritual food
Central to the church is the proclamation of the Gospel
We all struggle
We struggle in many different areas of life
And the Gospel is where you will find answers to those struggles
Acts 20:32, “And now I entrust you to God and his care and to his wonderful words that are able to build your faith.”
The church is where you will hear the gospel preached and where you will mature spiritually
No one wants to be a beginner at anything for very long
You don’t take up wood carving hoping you will always carve like a novice
Rather you try to improve
So it is with Christianity
The more you go to church,
The more you will mature in your understanding of the Bible
And the better you will be at coping with everyday life
But Brad, I read my Bible at home alone. Isn’t that enough?
No! You can and should read your bible at home alone.
That’s scriptural
But that’s only part of the equation
The other part is the maturing that comes with experiencing God and His Word in the company of other believers
You can’t replace that.
In church you will find fellowship, help, spiritual food, and…
4. You will find salvation
Plainly speaking, the church is the best place to find a cure for the disease of sin
You can respond to a radio or TV message
But the best place to respond to God’s calling you out is in the church
Romans 10:14 says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
Again, Millard Erickson wrote, “The church is the repository of grace … [it] possesses the gospel, the good news of salvation”
This is probably the best way the church can help you on Tuesday afternoon
