Kingwood United
Kingwood United • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
How would you describe KUMC to someone?
Answers....
Church of people that are quick to share God’s love
family
warm, inviting, inclusive, non-judgmental
welcoming and relevant
Home. hip. humorous. community
missional
a place to raise a family
full of the Holy Spirit
Family and a home
safe
Beautiful answers. So diverse in response though.
Too often we define our church based on some ministry or mission project or a slice of the pie. We are a big church and it would be impossible for all of us to know everyone intimately or for all of us to participate or champion everything that happens here. And so we become members of smaller parts of KUMC. Listen not all of this is wrong, we know that as a large church we have certain benefits and resources that will help us to work in ministry while maintaining the importance of pushing you into smaller worship communities, small groups, Sunday schools, and participating in certain missions.
We even make decisions and base ministry sometimes with only a slice of the pie in mind. On the surface and mostly this is all ok and a good thing, however, the slippery slope becomes that we drift further away from each other. We forget the rest of the pie. We never fully grasp what the big umbrella is. What I mean is we have lost language and understanding for what makes KUMC a church. What is our collective calling?
Our mission at KUMC is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
The question
Let me be so bold to say that nearly none of us grasp the big umbrella and in the next several weeks we want to prayerfully put language to what Unites us at KUMC. What makes us Kingwood United?!
So in the coming weeks we will discuss both what we see God already doing in this community and discussing where we believe God might be leading us.
house of prayer
fellowship community
community on mission
Wesleyan heritage
a covenant community together
deep discipleship
But today to introduce it we begin with the most basic questions. What is a church? And how should we understand this calling in Kingwood?
Ekklesia
Ekklesia
The greek word that is mostly translated to church in the new testament is ekklesia. Think of Jesus speaking to Peter in that conversation of, who do people say that I am? Upon the correct answer Jesus tells disciples and specifically Peter, it is upon you that I will build my church. So what is the biblical understanding of church?
OT perspective: Now the way we look back into the old testament and see when a similar understanding comes through is by something called the septuagint. The septuagint is the greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. So where the greek word ekklesia shows up in the septuagint would show us where in the Hebrew bible a similar idea would be present.
Now, in the OT the idea of church is refers to many different things:
the gathered people to receive the law in
or the assembled people of God used several times of Deuteronomy…literally referring to “the assembly of the Lord”
Or even God’s people called together for battle in
Or gathered to receive God’s message from King David
The new testament has a diversity of usages as well:
People of God, especially when they are gathered together
In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.
2. Group of Christians living in one place.... as in the “church at Ephesus”
3. Or house assemblies of Christians, like in Acts where people were meeting in homes under the care of disciples named Priscilla and Aquilla.
So what is common in all of these, because they are so basic? Well I think two things that will help us consider the ekklesia of Kingwood United:
Identity and Mission
Identity: The church’s identity is primarily and wholly based on the truth that we are called by God
First, the identity was primarily and wholly based on this truth…that they were called by God.
the root word for ekklesia, is Kaleo…yeah you are getting your greek in. It means Called. Ekklesia quite literally means the ones assembled that were called by God.
the identity of these groups had nothing to do with what the people looked like, where they met, who their specific leader was, where they had rock and roll worship band or choral and incense, identity was not based on how nice they were (though they should be), or how great their missions was or childcare and children’s ministries....the identity began with those people are called by God. Individually and collectively they are a community that has seen God and is responding to God.
This means that Kingwood United is not a support group, though we provide support. Not a social club, though you will undoubtedly make friends here, it is not a non-profit, a political club…we boldly and confidently stake our claim on this truth....we are an assembly that has been called by God. Nothing else has the power of transforming the world because God is not a part of it.
Purpose: The church is built and shaped by a shared purpose
the other thing we get from the biblical understanding of ekklesia is that they shared a purpose, God’s purpose.
The only time in the gospels that Jesus speaks and this word ekklesia shows up is in Matthew. When Jesus tells the 12 and Peter that it is upon them that he will build his church he is declaring the calling to “become a light to the nations, that God’s salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” ()
In a few weeks we will talk about what it means to be on mission, but for now we are united in our purpose. Kingwood United means that we are a people called by God with one thing on our mind.... being a light to the nations, bringing God’s salvation to the end of the earth.
If we at KUMC stop asking, How are we doing this....how are bringing God salvation....then we become salt that is not salty, useless. We stop being ekklesia.
And when we allow our purposes in our missions or our small groups or our agendas for what church is supposed to mean to operate outside of this shared purpose then we are simply a pile of bricks
Consider the illustration of a pile of bricks
Unity as one
Unity as one
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, which we read this morning, Paul gives the basis for this unity of identity and purpose. And it is worth exploring:
Let me read it again:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
He says one seven times, to even a cursory reading one can tell he is trying to make a point.
First there is one body:
There is one body because there is one spirit. We are one body…all of those in Christ, even bigger than KUMC, we all are one body, a temple of the Holy Spirit building us all together. This means:
Jew and Gentile
White, black, all ethnicities and races
slave and free
white collar, blue collar, no collar,
Baptist, Methodist, Catholic....whether we agree on that or not
Texans fans and cowboys fans....
We are all one. This is important because how could we imagine to all be one if God’s assembled people at KUMC cannot be united.
There is one body
Second there is one hope:
This hope is our one faith, our one baptism, because there is one Lord, Jesus Christ.
There is no other salvation:
no baptism by works or merit…let me work really hard to be good or build the right kind of life
there is no baptism by success in life or career
there is no baptism by positive thinking
there is no baptism in any other god,
There is one lord Jesus Christ and we are all baptized in Him
Finally, there is one Christian family:
Because there is one God and Father who is above all and in all. We are all called into the family together.
Not the Vine family, and the sanctuary family, and the loft family, and the missions family.
We are now in a position to repeat the three affirmations, this time the other way round and in the order in which the Persons of the Trinity are normally mentioned. First, the one Father creates the one family. Secondly, the one Lord Jesus creates the one faith, hope and baptism. Thirdly, the one Spirit creates the one body
We are now in a position to repeat the three affirmations, this time the other way round and in the order in which the Persons of the Trinity are normally mentioned. First, the one Father creates the one family. Secondly, the one Lord Jesus creates the one faith, hope and baptism. Thirdly, the one Spirit creates the one body
Stott, J. R. W. (1979). God’s new society: the message of Ephesians (p. 151). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
This means we must live, as pointed out by Paul, with humility, gentleness, patience, and love. The only hope for unity are in these moral qualities.
NT Wright:
The church exists, in other words, for what we sometimes call “mission”: to announce to the world that Jesus is its Lord. This is the “good news,” and when it’s announced it transforms people and societies. Mission, in its widest as well as its more focused senses, is what the church is there for. God intends to put the world to rights; he has dramatically launched this project through Jesus. Those who belong to Jesus are called, here and now, in the power of the Spirit, to be agents of that putting-to-rights purpose.
The word “mission” comes from the Latin for “send”: “As the father sent me,” said Jesus after his resurrection, “so I am sending you” ().
Why is this so important?
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
John 17:
Jesus said, it is because of their unity that the world will know me. Think on that for a minute. In this great prayer from Jesus....he does not say that it will be our apologetics: knowing all the answers of faith, or all of our mission work, or feeding the hungry, or by their worship music and good preaching....no! it is this, do they love eathother? Are they one? Will they welcome me?
As you come forward for communion in a moment, I want you to see the people around you. I want you to consider this truth....God loves you, and God loves them. We are called together and we, together are untied to bring salvation to the world.