Ecclesiology
1 Corinthians: The Gospel for the Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 45:07
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What’s your favorite -ology? Maybe you don’t have an -ology you prefer over the next. I’ll tell you mine; whereas I love theology (the study of God) and eschatology (the study of the end times), soteriology (the study of salvation) and hamartiology (the study of scumbaggery/sin), my favorite -ology has to do with the Church—the nature and structure of the body of Christ.
My favorite -ology is ecclesiology—the study of the church, the ekklesia, the gathering of God’s called-out people.
I love the Church. I love to study Church history and its movements, how it ebbs and flows; the ins and outs of a church denomination or of a particular church. If ever I was to write a book, it would have something to do with ecclesiology. It’d be a history or maybe a memoir. In my (almost) exactly 8 years as your pastor, you fine people have given me enough fodder to fill a dozen books about the church.
It was October 3, 2010 when I came here full-time. You’ve put up with me for more than 8 years, and for that I am ever-thankful. Heading into my 9th year and anticipating my 39th year, you should know how grateful I am for you, how much Meghann and I love you, how my family looks forward to spending the rest of our lives serving Christ alongside you.
You are the reason I love the Church so much. You have taught me. You, church, are my role model for love and faithfulness. You have shown me, over and again, what the Church is supposed to be.
The Church is of the Spirit, Not the World.
The Church is of the Spirit, Not the World.
This is something I’m going to repeat throughout the sermon (and probably beyond). And this would not be the worst thing you could repeat, especially as different issues pop up, when you disagree with another Christian, when you don’t care for something, we must remember: The Church is of the Spirit, not the world.
The Church is not a product of men. The Church is God’s idea. It’s His—His grace, His gifts, His people. The Church is of the Spirit, not the world.
>We know that the Church is of the Spirit and not of the world. Therefore, we must:
Act like it
Act like it
There was no Christian community, no Christian church in Corinth until Paul went there as a missionary. Corinth, remember, is a pagan hub. Temples for and idols of and worship to false gods consumed the city, the entire Corinthian population.
And so, here comes Paul into Corinth, preaching the gospel, the Good News about Jesus, the message of the cross. And the Lord was pleased to draw many of the Corinthians into a relationship with Himself.
The Corinthians were brand new Christians, first-generation Christians. Paul was with them for a year and half, teaching them, instructing them, modeling for them the way of Christ. Paul worked with the people of God there so that they would know how to be the people of God amid a pagan culture with all its influences.
And then Paul left, crossed the Aegean Sea, and made his way to Ephesus. From Ephesus, Paul heard some disturbing news: the Corinthian church was in trouble. They knew Jesus. They had been instructed in the way of Christ. They were the church there in Corinth. Problem was: the Corinthians weren’t acting like the church.
So Paul continues his letter (you’ll find 1 Corinthians 3 on page #1,772 in the Red Pew Bible in front of you):
1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
Paul begins this section of his letter by addressing the Corinthians as family. This is more than just something to say; this is absolutely crucial for them to hear: they are Paul’s brothers and sisters. He loves them. They have a familial bond with Paul. He is speaking to them as one who cares about them deeply.
Brothers and sisters…this is so important for them to hear. And it’s good for us to hear, but not for the same reason quite. We need to hear that Paul is calling them brothers and sisters because we need to realize that these people—though they are messing things up royally—they’re still Christians, kept by the Lord, secure in their salvation.
Brothers and sisters...
And then Paul really gets at it. He makes some important distinctions: the Corinthians are not spiritual, they are worldly. They aren’t mature; they’re infants (nepiois, in their ‘nappies’, still wearing diapers). They are (as in 1:10ff) quarreling and jealous, acting like mere men, picking teams, taking sides.
They are not pneumatikois, but rather sarkinois. Their actions are not characterized by the Spirit, but by the flesh.
This is Spirit versus Flesh; Spiritual vs. Worldly.
Galatians 5 details the fruit of the flesh an the fruit of the Spirit
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Paul says the Corinthian church is characterized more by the acts of the flesh than they are by the fruit of the Spirit.
He says, in essence: “This is what ordinary men, men without Christ, men without the Holy Spirit are like! You’re acting like mere men.”
I wish this wasn’t so applicable. I wish I struggled finding how this applies to the church here today. Last week, I thought “So what? What’s the point?
How does this apply?” Leading up to this morning I’ve been thinking: “Oh, man, this hits pretty close to home.” I’m not sure which is worse...
The Church in the USA, the Church in Missouri, the Church in Rich Hill tends to act very little like the Church.
Do any of these every creep up into the lives of the Church?
Sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy?
Yes to all. There’s so much of that in my own heart.
When the Church looks virtually no different from the world around it, when the church behave according to the flesh and its sinful desires, when the Church acts like it isn’t, we betray our very calling.
Paul says, “Act like the Church!”
The Church is of the Spirit, Not the World
The Church is of the Spirit, Not the World
If the Church is of the Spirit, each individual church body must exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.
All the quarreling and jealousy, the politics and pragmatism and partisanship; all the xenophobic and racist tendencies, the hateful attitudes and permissive attitudes; all the idolatry and immorality—all those things that belong to the flesh, to the world, to the old nature must cease.
We are to be characterized by the Spirit. We belong to the Spirit. We must act accordingly—so that the world might see our Heavenly Father and praise Him because of us.
Church, act like the Church.
We know that the Church is of the Spirit and not of the world. Therefore, we must:
See our leaders rightly
See our leaders rightly
Paul’s addressed this before, but it’s one of those issues that isn’t going to go away on its own; it’s one of those issues that is a perennial problem in the Church, in fact.
As we know, Paul was the Corinthian church’s first preacher. He planted the church. After he left, Apollos came to minister to them. So, naturally people gravitated toward one or the other of them. But when they started picking sides, choosing teams and Paul heard about it, they were going to hear from him.
4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
To say “I follow Paul…I follow Apollos” is to show their worldly nature. They are characterized by the flesh. They are acting just like the world. They are siding with their favorite personality just like the pagans would side with whichever god or goddess they prefer.
Paul reminds the church what he and Apollos actually are.
The very wording of his question in verse 5 hints at what he’s saying. He doesn’t ask, “Who, after all, is Apollos? Who is Paul?”
Paul asks, “What..is Apollos? What is Paul?”
He’s knocking himself and his buddy, Apollos, down a peg. He’s bringing them down to earth. What are they?
In verse 7, Paul says they aren’t, either one of them, anything.
There’s a temptation to view our leaders improperly, to place them atop a pedestal, to think of them as a good chunk of the reason the organization works.
This is true in the business world; take Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs out of the picture and what do you have? People within those corporations would say, “Without them, where would we be?”
Now, imagine the Church asking that same question. I think that’s what they’re getting at—at least by implication—“Without Paul, without Apollos, where would we be?”
“Don’t do that,” counsels Paul. Don’t do that. Paul and Apollos are nothing—nothing more than servants, only servants. Who cares which waiter brings the food to your table?
Paul planted. Apollos watered. But to whom does the credit belong? Who gets the glory? Who is over all?
It’s God who has been making it—the Corinthian church—grow.
Leaders have a purpose. In fact, it’s God-ordained, a God-purposed purpose. And leaders will be rewarded based on their labor. But the whole thing is God’s—Paul and Apollos are co-workers who each belong to God; the Corinthians are God’s field and God’s building.
In 60 years, this church has had 21 ministers, not counting youth ministers. As far as I can tell, there is only one church in the Rich Hill area that has the same minister they had when I came here in 2010.
Why would we begin to place our faith, our trust, our hope; why would we tie our identity to something that’s temporary, to someone who is transient?
If I’m blessed to minister here for the next 30-40 years, and if the Lord tarries, people a century from now will scarcely remember my name. I’ll be that odd, bald nameless preacher their great-great-grandparents had to listen to each Sunday.
It’s not about the leaders of the church; it’s about the Head of the Church. His name is Jesus, His title is Christ, and His Father is God.
Paul will say in verse 21:
21 So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours,
“Stop it!” says Paul.
The Church is of the Spirit, Not the World
The Church is of the Spirit, Not the World
We don’t elevate or venerate, we don’t criticize or canonize our leaders as the world might.
We are the Church. The Church is of the Spirit—and this we know: every part of the Church belongs to God. We view our leaders differently—as servants of the Most High, servants given us by the Holy Spirit as good gifts. We do not act as the world acts; we are led by the Spirit.
We know that the Church is of the Spirit and not of the world. Therefore, we must:
Mind our building
Mind our building
No, no, you crazies. I’m not speaking about the edifice we take shelter in each Lord’s Day. I’m not speaking about the building that sits here at 300 E. Walnut in Rich Hill, Missouri (though we have a lot of people who take good care of this place, cleaning and repairing, so that this part of the church has a place to gather for years to come).
I’m not talking about minding our physical building. Building, as it’s used here, isn’t even a noun.
By “mind our building”, I mean we must watch how we work within the Church.
In verse 9, Paul switches from an agricultural analogy (planting, watering, God’s field) to an architectural analogy—God’s building.
Paul elaborates here in verse 10:
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
When Paul came to Corinth, he came with a message. It seemed to them like a foolish message. But for those there in Corinth who were being saved, well, it was the power of God.
The foundation Paul laid was that of Jesus Christ. He made sure that the Corinthian church, all it’s members, all those who belonged to God, stood on the solid rock whose name is Jesus.
There is no other foundation. A “church” not built on Jesus, the Good News about Him, and the salvation found only in Him is not a church at all.
The word Paul uses here for builder is the word architekton. Paul’s the architect, so to speak. He took the lead, making sure everything went according to plan, that these new believers were built up into the Church.
By God’s grace, Paul laid a foundation: Jesus.
He did not place this church on the wobbly foundation of programs or personalities, fads or trends, gimmicks or rituals. He preached the Good News about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Paul placed them on firm ground, solid footing, immovable foundation.
“The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ the Lord.”
Hymn #77 in our hymnal. Under the song title, you’ll see a Bible reference. It’s 1 Corinthians 3:11.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Paul laid a foundation, and now, he says, someone else is building on it. Each one, says Paul, should build with care…their work will be shown for what it is because the Day will bring it to light.
Those who work in the church, those who build on the foundation of Christ build using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw must mind their building. They must ask themselves whether what they’re doing, how they’re building, what they’re teaching is perishable or imperishable.
I’m really not convinced that there’s more to it than that; if you have a study Bible, the notes might suggest that there’s some significance to the gold, silver, and costly stones and other significance to the wood, hay, and straw. That might be, but we can’t get bogged down in trying to figure out what we can’t know. (And remember, the notes in your study Bible aren’t inspired).
In the strongest possible terms, Paul warns the Corinthians to build the church with imperishable materials corresponding to the foundation—Christ crucified; to mind their building and to build with that which lasts.
I keep this brick on my bookshelf. During this last week, I took it off my shelf and put in on my desk. I brought it out here this morning. This is a small bit of what remains from the building where Greensburg Christian Church used to meet. That building was destroyed by the 2007 tornado, and I grabbed this from the pile of rubble (along with a pew Bible and some broken stained glass).
This brick is a good reminder of what it is that lasts and what does not last. The church is not brick or stone, 2x4s or sheet rock.
If you grew up going to church, you probably remember: “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the doors, see all the people” —it’s cute, but it’s wrong. What’s wrong with that?
This (the building) is not the church; this (the people) is. Wood, brick, metal, concrete—none of that makes up the church. The Church is people—the called-out people of God whose foundation is Jesus Christ.
We must mind our building, understanding our foundation, our teaching, our purpose.
The Church is a spiritual building. It’s God’s alternative to what’s going on in Corinth.
There in that city, there are any number of pagan houses of worship. People are bowing to altars of false gods and giving their lives to that which can and will never save, pledging their allegiance to false deity.
The Church—the people of God who belong to Him by faith in Jesus Christ—the Church is His alternative to what’s going on in Corinth, in Rich Hill, all over the world.
The world is over here, doing its thing, believing it’s just fine when, in all reality, apart from Jesus, it’s going to hell.
The only group of people in the world who are preaching Jesus, telling others about Jesus, sharing the Good News that Jesus saves, is the Church. Only the Church does that.
The Church is of the Spirit, Not the World
The Church is of the Spirit, Not the World
We must make sure that what we do as a part of the Church is characterized by the Spirit and not the world. This dark, dark world doesn’t need more of itself; it needs Jesus.
That which the Church wisely builds upon Jesus Christ and His teaching will survive any and every hour of testing and the church which minds its building will enter final judgment as a church victorious and glorious; those responsible for such building will receive their due reward.
We know that the Church is of the Spirit and not of the world. Therefore, we must:
Understand ourselves
Understand ourselves
I want us to really understand what’s being said here. To do this, we have to have a brief discussion about pronouns. When we read the word “you” in these verses, it’s plural. So think y’all instead of an individual you. (Go online something to www.yallversion.com and pick your preferred pronouns—y’all, youse guys, you lot as you read the Bible; it’ll really help).
These verses are about the Church understanding who they are as the Church.
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” 21 So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
Paul asks his Corinthian brothers and sisters: “Don’t you know who you are?”
And it’s clear from their current behavior that they don’t know, or they’ve forgotten, or they haven’t considered the implications of who they are as God’s people in Corinth.
The gathered people of God is the Church. The Church is God’s temple. The Spirit of God dwells among them.
Do we know who we are, that we are Christ’s Church? Do we understand how special, how privileged we are? Do you not get that our lives should be lived with the utmost care, walking as Spirit-people and not worldly people?
The gathered people of God is the Church—God’s temple.
The word for temple used here is the word naos. This refers to the actual sanctuary, not merely the temple precincts. God’s Spirit dwells with the Church, not in an individualistic way, but corporately as the Church assembles for worship.
We need an understanding of the Church as God’s temple indwelt by His Spirit.
Let us understand and not be deceived.
What appears to be wisdom belongs to the present age. Those who pursue worldly wisdom are not building wisely. They might think themselves wise, but they miss who they are and who they’re supposed to be. The wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight—the only sight that matters.
We are not “of Paul” or “of Apollos”. This, the Corinthians should know. This, they should understand about themselves—all things, in Christ and because of Christ, are theirs.
The Resurrected Jesus is King over all—everything is under His jurisdiction. As His people, the Church must understand all things belong to us because all things belong to Him.
Let us understand who we are and what we have. We are the Church.
The Church is of the Spirit, Not the World
The Church is of the Spirit, Not the World
Church, we have to continue acting like the Church; acting like God’s special possession whom He called out of darkness into His marvelous light. We need to understand ourselves, mind our building, see our leaders rightly.
We here—Rich Hill Christian Church—one small part of the Church must, must, must stand out and hold forth the Good News that Jesus saves sinners and makes them part of His Church.