Church – It’s Not About You!
(Part 1)
Various Scriptures
September 12, 2004
Introduction
We’re setting aside our study of Matthew for a few weeks, because I want us to just cover something that is at the basis of what we are trying to accomplish as a church here at AWC.
If you have been part of our family here for very long, you have no doubt noticed some things that have changed over the last year or so.
For instance, we hung these banners during the 40 Days of Purpose campaign last Spring.
We stopped taking an offering and started receiving the offering by putting offering boxes in the back of the sanctuary.
Lowell and I have chosen to drop the suit and ties for worship.
One change you might or might not have really noticed is this big ol’ cross standing up here. We’ve brought it out the last two Easter seasons.
We’ve left that up here on purpose – as a reminder that what Jesus went through on our behalf was hardly pretty. It was ugly and brutal. And my hope is that it will give you a renewed sense of gratitude for what He did to give you eternal life.
Well, why are we doing these things? Is it because PB has a personal agenda about the way church ought to be done? Believe it or not, that’s not the case.
Today and next week we’re going to just look at what the Bible says about the church.
And I think that as we go through these things that you will find that nothing we are doing is arbitrary, but has a real purpose behind it.
Next week we are going to explore the question about how the church should operate in the world nowadays.
But today I want us to look at four key questions that need to be considered when looking at the church, as it looks to relate the timeless truths and principles of Scripture to contemporary society.
My desire in this is to help us sift through the unimportant stuff regarding how we should “do” church to find the important stuff about being the church.
So buckle up as we get ready to dive in, okay? Let’s get going. The first key question we need to look at in examining what the Bible says about the church is…
Who does the church belong to?
Now how about this for an easy one, huh? It’s not a trick question. And I’ve even printed the answer for you right there in your note-taking guide.
Who does it belong to?
Jesus, of course! In Matthew 16:18 Jesus says that He will build Peter’s church. Oh, I mean that Jesus said He would build PB’s church. Oh, that’s not right either. He said He’d build your church.
And the survey says, EEEEEHHHHHH!!!”
No, folks, Jesus said He would build HIS church.
"…and on this rock I will build my church…"
Why do we need to talk about something so obvious?
Because it might be obvious to some, but maybe not to all. And it might be obvious in our minds, but not necessarily in our hearts and attitudes.
You see, the church doesn’t belong to you, even if you’ve been here for many, many years. The church doesn’t belong to the Local Board of Administrators, as wonderful as those people are in this church.
The church doesn’t belong to me, even though I am the pastor God has appointed for this time and place. The church doesn’t even belong the denomination known as the Wesleyan Church.
The church belongs to Jesus. Even this local church.
The church in general is described in a couple ways by the Bible. First…
It’s described as His Body…
Eph. 1:22-23 –
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
You hear the term, “Body of Christ” a lot when people describe the church, because that’s what it is.
This gathering is supposed to be a model of that greater body, with Christ as the head. The second way the church is described in the Bible is…
…and His household.
1 Timothy 3:15 –
…you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God…
Did you know that this church building is not God’s house? So what’s God’s house? You and I. The Bible says that God dwells in us, not buildings.
A household is a family, not a building. Now I’m grateful for this building, which has been dedicated to the worship and service of God and His kingdom, but what if a tornado took it out? Would the church still exist? Absolutely! Because we exist, and we are the household of God.
Remember, Jesus didn’t say He would build His church building! He will build the church, and it belongs to Him.
Let’s move on to the second question, which is…
Who belongs to the church?
All who call upon Him as the Savior.
1 Corinthians 1:2 – (NLT)
We are writing to the church of God in Corinth, you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did all Christians everywhere – whoever calls upon the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and theirs.
This ties in with what I said a few moments ago. The church does not belong to us. This means that we cannot make the “rules” about who belongs to the family of God.
We can’t use superficial judging criteria to determine who’s “in” and who’s “out.” We can’t look at the way a person dresses or wears their hair, or doesn’t wear it, in my case.
Here’s my point – it’s not what’s on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside. And you and I are not qualified nor called to judge a person’s spiritual condition based solely on outward appearance.
The question we must answer in eternity is not how did we dress in church, or how long or short or non-existent was your hair, but what did you do with Jesus.
If you have called on Jesus as your Savior, then you are part of the church of Jesus Christ, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails.
The third question to be asked regarding the church is…
What is the job of the church?
To get the most basic answer to that question, I’d like us look at Matthew 28:18-20 –
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
The job of the church is to make it bigger.
The church is the body of Christ – and unlike human bodies, this body wants to add more weight! The bigger it gets, the better it is!
The heaviest human in medical history, according to the Guinness Book of World Records is Jon Brower Minnoch, from Seattle, WA, who at one time weighed approximately 1400 pounds.
Now obviously, this is too big for a person, unless he is over 10 feet tall. His morbid obesity eventually cost him his life, which should not surprise anyone here.
But with Jesus’ body, the Body of Christ, the church, the idea isn’t to lose weight, the idea is to gain it.
Jesus is saying, “Bring it on, man! You can’t kill me!”
How do we do that? We make the church bigger by making disciples – developing people who do more than just claim to be Christians. They live it out in everyday life.
Jesus said we are to take the good news of forgiveness and eternal life to the ends of the earth.
I would dare say that there are plenty of people here in Aberdeen and Brown County who still need to hear the good news, you think? That means that we have some work to do, don’t we?
We can’t rely on Billy Graham to do the work for us. He’s not planning an Aberdeen crusade, and not everyone wants to watch him on TV when he’s on.
We have to do something to help the church of Christ grow.
So help the church gain some weight, okay? And I’m not talking about putting on more pot-luck lunches!
Okay, let’s review for a moment:
First, the church belongs to Jesus, not to us. Second, if you belong to Jesus, you belong to the church, regardless of outward appearances. Third, the job of the church is to add people to the body of Christ by making disciples or committed followers of Jesus.
The fourth and last question I want us to look at today is this:
How should the church act?
How should the church respond to a world walking in darkness, even though it thinks of itself as more enlightened than ever?
How should the church as a whole and as individuals interact with those outside it?
We act like Jesus did. Listen to Luke 15:1-2 –
Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
Jesus was intentional about being around people who needed Him.
And unless you’re a hermit, staying away from the people Jesus wants us to touch with His love, then you will be around those who need Jesus.
And whether you want to or not, whether you believe it or not, and whether you intend to or not, you will be a model of the church.
And your love for Christ and those He died for will determine if you will be a good model or a poor one.
So how can you be a good model? Allow me to give you three ideas on how the church should act, both individually and corporately.
To do that I want us to look at 1 Corinthians 10:32-33 –
Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-- 33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
In looking to be a good model, we need to act, first of all…
1. In ways that bring honor to God.
That should be plenty obvious, right?
Our desire should always be to become persons who love and live for God. And one of the ways we do that is to interact with people in ways that please and bring honor to Him.
We don’t bring honor to God with slander or gossip, or by, if I dare say so during this time, using the church as a political tool, no matter what your party or cause.
If you want to please God in the way you interact with people who need Jesus in today’s world, you need to get serious about finding out what the Bible says about people and relationships.
And you will find out more about the next two ideas about how the church should act in the world today.
Idea number two is to act…
2. In ways that edify believers.
A lot of what I’m going to say in the next few moments will apply to the next idea of how we should act in the world as well, but from time to time we need reminders of some things, and this is just as good a time as any!
Sometimes the church is really good about attacking its own people. Sometimes it is blatant, sometimes its hidden behind other agendas or disguised as honest concern for the church of God.
But let me challenge you to read the book of Proverbs before the end of the year. If you read one chapter a day, you’ll read it in a month.
In that one book alone, you will find tons of great counsel about how to lift each other up.
And in the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, we find these words in verses 24 and 25:
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
The book of Ephesians tells us to only say things that will build up the listener.
You know, I can’t think of a single place in Scripture that allows us to say, “I told you so.”
When you look to build up the body of Christ, through words and deeds, then you are acting in ways that honor God. Let’s move on to the third idea of how to act in the world today, and that is to act…
3. In ways that do not alienate unbelievers.
Along with what I’ve just mentioned about building people up who belong to the church of Christ, we should keep some other things in mind as well.
We should not adopt a separatist attitude, or a “holier-than-thou” mindset.
We need to adopt the mindset that says, “Jesus loves you; He loves you so much that He died for you, no matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, He loves you and wants you for His own.”
As far as our worship service goes, that means that we try to go out of our way to make sure that no one feels unwelcome or out of place while they’re here, whether or not they have a relationship with Jesus.
We sing songs that relate to the current generations and their relationship with God.
We use a Bible that speaks beyond the 17th century, in plain English.
And the messages are geared to real-life application of the Bible in the real world.
Sometimes we make changes in our way of doing things. Like the name tags. We didn’t decide on that just because we felt people needed another fashion accessory!
We do that to eliminate just one small barrier that may be in the way of someone opening up to the message of Jesus Christ.
We are to be constantly working to make the gospel attractive. Not by watering down the message that God calls some things sin, and that without Jesus there is no hope for forgiveness of those sins and a home in heaven.
You will never hear me dilute that. The Bible is very clear about that, and there is no getting around it.
What I mean by making the gospel attractive is that we live lives that tell people we have our eternity squared away, and because of that, our present is in good hands with God.
We make the gospel attractive by pro-actively building relationships with people who need Jesus.
We make the gospel attractive by living lives that tell people that while life may not be perfect, it’s still worth living, because we live for something beyond ourselves – we live for Christ and those He came to die for.
You will then act in ways that do not alienate those outside of Christ, but rather create a thirst for Christ.
And that, my friends, is the church acting like the church is supposed to.
Conclusion
Folks, the bottom line is that church is not about you, me, or the denomination.
It’s about God and His purposes.
The question we must be constantly asking ourselves as a church is this: what can we do that will make us more effective for God and His kingdom?
Sometimes it means adding something, sometimes it means getting rid of something.
Decisions like this should never be arbitrary, nor should they be driven by either newness or tradition.
They must be done on the basis of being effective for God and His purposes.
This has to be done not only on a corporate level as a body of believers in a local church, but on an individual level in your own personal lives.
Are you willing to examine yourself to see if you are open to being more effective for Christ and His kingdom? Are you willing to allow God to reveal to you where you can add something or let something go?
Does your inward attitude reflect the words of your mouth in declaring that it’s not about you, but about God?
I hope so. And if it’s not, may it BE so after today.
Let’s pray.
