The Movement

Why Church?  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  33:08
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As we kick off our new series, we going to take a deeper look at this thing called church, and what our role is and what is the church's role in the world.

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Introduction:
We are starting a new series today called, Why Church? As we launch into this new season, we are forced the ask the question ‘why’? Why would we go back? Why did we even go in the first place? If online has been working so well for the last six months, why change it?
As we wrestle with this question, there is another dimension to the question that we must consider. If those of us who have attended church in the past are asking these questions, what about people who have never been to church? Why would they want to come to church? What is it about church that is appealing or drawing?
These are important questions, and they are not bad ones to ask ourselves. If we have never challenged our motivations for going to church, then it is hard to grow in those convictions. As disciples of Christ, we must be on a journey of challenging everything, not to bring doubt, but to solidify our faith. If we don’t question and challenge ourselves, then when what kind of footing will we have when the world and our neighbors challenge our faith? As we read last week, there will come a time when everything we believe and stand for is going to be challenged, and there will be persecution like we’ve never seen in our nation. When I say persecution, I mean more then being forced to wear a mask. Trust me, there are brothers and sisters in the faith that give anything for a mask to be the worst persecution they face.
So this brings us to my first question this morning:

Question 1: What comes to mind when you think of the word ‘church’?

Be honest with your answers. This is one of those questions that really has no right answer, but could potentially have an abundance of different answers based on our experience and upbringing. I don’t want give any example answers because I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but I do want to say this; if you have had a bad experience of church in the past, you are not alone. There are a lot of people who have been hurt and abandoned by church, and there isn’t a church out there that hasn’t hurt people along the way. The truth is that we are all fallen people in need of a Savior, and there are no perfect Christians, except Jesus. Jesus is the only person who did life sinlessly and perfectly, and humanity killed him for it. But if you have been hurt, I want to apologize on behalf of the church. I don’t have to know what happened to know that it not only hurt you, but it also hurt the heart of God. Any action or words that causes one of God’s children to pull away from the body of believers is not right, and I would love if you would allow me to walk you through it. I couldn’t imagine my life without the church, and there have been some hurtful things said and done to me along the way. But I recognize that God is bigger, and his love, grace, and mercy overwhelm the hurts that have happened.
As you ponder that word church this morning, I want to unpack what I believe the church to be. In order to really get a grasp, I want to start by saying what the church isn’t. If you put any of these things down as your answer in the comments, no worries, this is not a criticism or a correction. You answered based on your experience and that is great. My aim is to shed new light on the idea of the church. My hope is that a new perspective will inspire us and help us step into God’s plan for the church more fully. So here we go:

A. Church is not a building

Then why do we call it ‘the church’? Well, let’s look at the history of Christianity and see how we could have possibly gotten to this idea of church being a building. As we read through Acts and much of the New Testament, the early church met in people’s homes and in fields. They were persecuted and hunted, many were killed for the faith they held on to. To meet in a building week in and week out would have been suicide. So they met in homes, held small groups and read the letters that the Apostles would send to them. It remained this way for years. Eventually, Christianity went from illegal to mainstream, even the dominant religion of the day. Suddenly we went meeting in homes and hiding to being given buildings to meet in. When the buildings came, it only made sense to call it the church cause that is where the church met.
The problem with this line of thinking is this; if church is just a building, then we are only the church when we are in the building. As soon as we leave, we go back to living life the way we want. We may pick up our bibles, we might pray when things are dire and the last resort, but generally faith and discipleship only happen when we enter the building. So Sunday morning, and maybe at a midweek gathering. The idea of church only being a building is too small. God wants us to think bigger.

B. Church is not just a family

Wait a second, Pastor Matt. You just preached not too long ago that we need to see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. When we become Christians, we enter the family of God as adopted children and call God Father and Jesus co-heir. What do mean its not just a family?
Hear me out on this. When we approach church as just a family, we quickly become a gathering that is content with being a contained unit. Think about Christmas or Thanksgiving. How many of us invite people outside of our family for these gatherings? It may happen on occasion, but the reality is that those are family times, so we just stick to the family. We don’t see each that often, and we like to come together as a family to connect, get caught up, share a few laughs and then go about our days. That’s what family time is all about and its great.
When we apply that same thinking to the church, we start to see that this is actually a falter from what God has called us to. When church starts to look inward, and likes the group we have and wants to stay the way it is, then we become one great big clique; we stop being in world like Jesus asked of us. When we try to remain contained to the ‘family unit’ we move from the purpose of God to simply being a social group of like minded people.

C. Church is not something to be consumed

Let’s use Walmart as an example. Walmart has long been the popular place for people to get there stuff. Everything from clothes to car parts, their prices are hard to beat, and when you live on a budget it is the first place many people often go. In fact, I’m sure many people could go into Walmart and blindfold themselves and still find everything they are looking for. Maybe Walmart isn’t that store for you, but you probably have your store.
When Walmart decided to make masks mandatory, a controversial decision to say the least, what did the other stores do? They didn’t make masks mandatory. Why? Because there was recognition that this would upset people, and all of Walmart’s competitors were not going to miss an opportunity to scoop customers when they could get a chance.
This is what has happened to the church in many ways, and COVID has not helped. We are happy to fill our seat, or tune in online and watch from the lazy boy, and consume the content as it comes through the screen. However, when the church calls for some kind of action, or if something is said that is the least bit offensive, we are tempted to just leave. This isn’t the only church to pick from, and I can easily find another one that will say what I want to hear, or not ask me to get involved. I give my tithe, what else do they want from me?

So then what is church?

There are a few scriptures that I want us to read and I hope that we start to get a grasp of how God sees the church. Then I want to show you how the things we listed off aren’t necessarily wrong, they just don’t work by themselves.
Deuteronomy 4:6–8 CSB
Carefully follow them, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the peoples. When they hear about all these statutes, they will say, ‘This great nation is indeed a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation has righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today?
Deuteronomy 28:10 CSB
Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you bear the Lord’s name, and they will stand in awe of you.
If you’ve never read Deuteronomy, then I encourage you to do so when you get a chance. Deuteronomy is where Moses re-establishes the laws that God has given the people of Israel before they enter the promised land. Israel has just finished walking around aimlessly for forty years, the disobedient generation has died, and now a new generation prepares to step into God’s promise. Early in the book, he writes in chapter 4 that if you obey, nations be in awe of you and your God. As Moses wraps us, he concludes by telling the people this. If you obey the commands God has given you, you will be blessed beyond measure. You storehouses will be full, and nations will look in awe of you. In fact, God told Abraham that the whole world would be blessed through Abraham’s offspring. The plan was that the world would see the blessing and love that God poured out on Israel and they would be drawn to it. It was never just about Israel, it was always about the whole world, all of creation being redeemed.
Of course, Israel wasn’t up to the task. If you read Deut. 28, we will read how Israel would be blessed if they followed, and cursed if they disobeyed. When you read the rest of the Old Testament, it plays out exactly as Moses said it would. Israel was faithful, and nations were tripping over each other to have treaties with them. Then kings rose up that followed other gods, and Israel fell to the point they were exiled from the promised land. It’s like God knew what was going to happen.
Which sets the stage for Jesus. After Jesus starts his ministry, in no time at all, he has amassed a great following.
John 6:10 CSB
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place; so they sat down. The men numbered about five thousand.
You may have heard the story, but this is how it goes. Jesus has been wondering around Israel, preaching to people that they must repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Repent really means turn from your ways. Stop following the passions that are contrary to the word of God and start living the way God instructs and leads you. Suddenly there are 5,000 men, not counting women and children. There could have been 15,000 people following Jesus at this point in his story. He miraculously feeds them with five loaves of bread and 2 fish. In fact, when they are done eating, there is 12 baskets of leftovers. Jesus didn’t just feed them, he provided for them in overflowing amounts.
One of the interesting things to note about Jesus is that he didn’t have a home to call his own. During the three years of his ministry, he was constantly on the move. I want you to write that word in the comment section because I want you to hold on to it. Write, ‘Move’ in the comment section. Everyone do it now.
Then Jesus sacrifices himself on the cross, rises from the dead, and ascends into heaven, and commissions his disciples to pick up the ministry and keep it going.
Acts 2:41–42 CSB
So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preaches this amazing message of truth and conviction, telling the story of Jesus and how salvation is found in him and him alone, and 3,000 people join the church that day. It wasn’t a prayer, they repented and were baptized that very day. I can’t imagine how tired the arms of the Apostles were that day after baptizing all those people. In total honestly, I would love to experience it. I would love to baptize so many people in one day that I couldn’t lift my arms the next day. That would be a highlight day in ministry.

Question 2: Have you ever been baptized? Would you like to be?

Whether its been baptized as a child, a teen or an adult, I just want to know if you’ve been baptized. I’ve actually been baptized twice, once as a child and once as a teen. Did I have to be? No I didn’t, but I decided that even though my parents made the decision for me as a baby, it was a decision I wanted to make for myself. Does that mean everyone should be? That is honestly between you and God. Is it wrong to be baptized multiple times? Nope. In the Old Testament, they would baptize themselves as a cleansing before worship. We use baptism as a declaration of commitment to faith. We publicly declare our faith in Jesus, then through baptism we die to our sins and are raised to new life in Christ. If you want to be baptized, I would love to make it happen. How do we do it in COVID times, I don’t know, but we will find a way.
So what is church?

Church is MOVEMENT!

Think about all the great movements of the past. There may be different ones that come to mind, but the one I think of is the Civil Rights Movement lead by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. What did they want? They wanted a better life for people who were being unjustly treated for reasons beyond their control. They believed that things could be better, and they wanted their voices heard. People were quickly drawn in, wanting to be a part of the change that was happening. There were tough times for those who led it, and Martin Luther King lost his life for the cause he believed in so strongly. It was such a powerful movement, and I remember hearing about it in school and feeling inspired to stand up against injustice and wanting to make a difference in the world.
This is what Jesus came and died for. God saw him, trapped in sin and death. There was no sacrifice we could make, no gesture so grand that could cover the immense amount of sin in our lives. God loved humanity so much that he stripped off his divinity, came to earth as a man, to show us the love and grace we so desperately needed. He started a movement so grand that the leaders of the day were threatened by it. But what did Jesus come to proclaim? He declared forgiveness for sins, that he wanted everyone to have life and life abundant. People were drawn from everywhere, Jews and Gentiles a like. There were Romans coming to him, Pharisees came to him for help. At one point there were around 15,000 people following him, wanting to hear about the life that God wanted for each and every one of them.
Then he went to the cross. Jesus, the perfect, sinless son of God took on the sin of the world. He paid the price that no one else could, he substituted himself in our place, and died so that we wouldn’t have to. For the first time, God the Father turned away from his Son, not able to look on the sin that he had become. We deserved punishment and consequence for our actions, and instead Jesus took all the shame, the sin, the punishment, and the death for us. But not only did he die for us, but he came back to life for us. He conquered death, and inspired a movement that 2,000 years later has only kept going.
How does the movement work? We grab hold of the cause that Jesus set before us; to declare repentance to world that all would be saved, that none would be lost. The strength of the movement would be founded on the love that we have for one another, a love that would be deeper than even family bond. The world would know we are part of it by the way we love each other.
How does a movement work? It requires that we move. It requires that would do something. We come together, we get our marching orders from the leadership of the movement, then we go out and carry the cause into the world. The best movements needed a base of operations work out of.
What is the church? The church is an unstoppable movement, full of people who make mistakes but come into alignment with the message of Jesus and carry it out into the world. We carry the hope that there is a better life, a life of forgiveness, grace and purpose. We carry the cause of our God, to let everyone know that God loves and has a beautiful and powerful plan for each and everyone of them. The amazing thing about this movement is that we become so filled with purpose, that the struggles of this world just don’t seem that important compared the great and awesome thing we are a part of. We become a part of something that is so much bigger than ourselves.
God has called us to be a movement that brings life change to everyone around us. We are invited to become a part of a global movement that is transforming lives, and changing eternity for so many.

Question 3: What are you waiting for?

It’s time to get moving. Let’s pray!
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