The Church: What is it?
Church was born
It was early in the morning and the lambs were being led to the Temple to be sacrificed for the coming Passover which celebrates the night when the first borns in Egypt were killed and Israel was freed from bondage to Egypt. At the same time Jesus, the lamb of God, was being led down the via delarosa with His cross, to be sacrificed for our sins and to free us from bondage to sin. He died, but three days later He rose from the dead. For the next forty days Jesus continued to show himself to his followers and speak of the things of God. Then Jesus spoke to his followers for the last time, giving them His final instructions. He said go to Jerusalem and wait there for the Holy Spirit, then be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and throughout the whole earth. And when he had said that he was lifted up into heaven, and disappeared behind a cloud.
So His followers gathered in Jerusalem, probably in the upper room, 120 of them, waiting, praying until the Feast of Weeks. That’s right, the feast of weeks. This feast was originally a feast in which Israel showed gratitude to God for the first fruits of the harvest. It comes 50 days after the Passover and is also known as Pentecost.
So there they are, 120 people, in a room, waiting, praying, until, on the day of Pentecost, when a noise like a violent, rushing wind filled the house. And what looked like flames of fire rested upon each person, and they began speaking in languages other than their own. The Holy Spirit had come and had baptized each of them just as Jesus said. And the church was born. The first fruits of the harvest on that feast of weeks, Pentecost.
But that’s not all! The Bible says that the sound was so great that others from the town came to check out what was happening. And some foreign visitors were surprised to hear the disciples speaking in their own languages, speaking of God’s mighty works.
But the people who gathered couldn’t explain what they were seeing or hearing. Some were and were asking, “What does this mean?” and wanted to know more. While others dismissed the whole thing concluding that these people must be drunk!
But Peter silenced the crowd and explained they were witnessing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that the Old Testament prophets had predicted (Acts 2:16–21; cf. Joel 2:28–32). And he went on to say in Acts 2:22 “Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 “But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
Then Peter ended with this… 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now the people responded with hearts pierced the core… 37 “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”
And on that day the Lord did call some people. 3000 people. 3000 people gave their lives to Christ on that day! And the church began to grow. Not because of any programs they had…but because God was at work through them, just like He is working today through you, if you are willing.
And looking on through the book of Acts we see the progress reports again and again…
Acts 2:47 And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 6:7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Acts 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in awe of the Lord.
Acts 12:24 But the word of God continued to increase and spread.
Acts 16:5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
And so it goes.
Declaration
But we shouldn’t be surprised by this. Jesus predicted that his church would be established and that nothing would stand in it’s way. Lets take a step backwards in time and look at Jesus’ declaration. Turn to Matt 16:13-18 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
A Blessing
And with that great confession by Peter Jesus blessed him with these words…Matt 16:17 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
A New Name
Then Peter received a new name from Jesus…Matt 16:18 18 And I tell you that you are Peter (Petros meaning stone or small rock), In effect, Jesus was saying that Peter you with that confession you show yourself to be strong, like a rock. Way to go!
A Declaration
Jesus then makes this dramatic declaration…and on this rock I will build my church, Now here Jesus uses a different word for rock. Not Petros, but Petra which means large rock or bed rock. This word is used in Matt for the rock that a tomb was carved out. Jesus was not now speaking of Peter or He would have used Petros. Rather Jesus was referring either to Himself or to the statement Peter made, You are the Christ, the son of the living God! Jesus was saying, upon this rock-like truth I will build my church. And that truth is recognizing that Jesus is God in the Flesh. That He came, died in our place, for our sins, and rose again. That in Him we have victory over Satan and sin. That in Him we have everything we need for life and godliness. That in Him we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. That in Him we have a gracious and merciful heavenly Father whom we can come to freely and without fear. And that in Him we have everlasting life. That’s the truth. That’s what Jesus was saying.
Then Looking further at this verse Jesus says, on this rock I will build my Church.
Now I hate to break it to you, but PCC is not your church, it’s not my church, it’s not the elders church, it’s not even Jim’s church. Only one person can claim ownership to this church and that is Jesus Christ. And He doesn’t need to consult Jim or me or the board or you regarding His plans. Because the church is His. He alone is the owner no how much we fight it or deny it.
Let’s look even closer…Jesus says, I will build my church…We saw in Acts how the church grew and grew and in fact it is growing today. His church growth program will not stop until Jesus comes again for his church. The Bible paints the picture of Jesus as the Groom and the church as the bride. I love what Swindoll says, Jesus is probably the only groom who wants his bride to get bigger before the wedding! But the bride is getting heavier every year, waiting for the groom to come. She’s enlarging her size. Every day she’s getting bigger and bigger, waiting for His arrival. And the Groom will one day come and say to His bride, “You’re mine. Come on home with me.” But until then He remains in the building process.
A Prediction
And finally in Matt 16:18 we have a prediction. “and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Maybe you feel the impact of the church slipping away. With the popularity of the philosophy of tolerance, the willful killing of thousands of unborn babies every year, Christian churches willing to rationalize the clear teaching of Scripture in regard to homosexuality and on it goes. Will Christianity ever die out? Will the Muslims and the Mormons master the world? Will the world succumb to secularism and science? Will there one day be no more church? Jesus says, if all the wicked forces were unleashed from the open gates of hell, the Church would not be hindered in its growth. Nothing could ever destroy the Church. It will never be crippled by some outside force, never be rendered obsolete, and never be stopped by any power, person or plan. Period. The church, my friend, is the most absolute, the most powerful, the most relevant entity on earth!
Definition
But what exactly do we mean by the church? Is the Church a building? Of course the answer is “No!” Chuck Colson, in his book, The Body, says that we suffer from an identity crisis. We say, “We are going to church to worship.” Or “Doesn’t our church look good?” But that kind of language can lead to what some have called the edifice complex—the impact and importance of our church is in direct proportion to the size and beauty of our building.
The word church in the Bible comes from the Greek word ekklesia which means “to call out from among”. It was used to describe a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, basically it was an assembly. Ekklesia refers not to the place or building, but to the people who gathered together. That gathering was call the church.
Now yesterday I took some time to walk around the front patio and I just marveled at how beautiful everything looks. I even noticed buds on our grape vines! It’s wonderful! But I had to remind myself as I was bursting with pride, that the patio is not the church. The landscaping is not the church. And even this building is not the church. You are the church, we are the church! And not just us, but all believers everywhere past, present and future are the church. Through faith in Jesus, we are “called out” by God to be members of His family. Theologians call it the church universal. More often the word church in the NT refers to a local gathering of believers such as the church of God which is at Corinth or the church of the Thessalonians.
So let me ask the question again, “Is the church a building?” And of course the answer is “Yes!” Turn to Eph. 2:19-22 and read with me
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
1 Peter 2:4-5 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.
Notice that this building or Temple has a cornerstone, Jesus, from which everything else is based. And a foundation, the apostles and prophets and finally living stones, the church, are we are joined together to become a Temple, a dwelling place for God, a spiritual house.
The Body
The church is also described as a Body. First there is the Head of the Body, Jesus. Col 1:18 says, And he is the head of the body, the church;
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.
Notice also from these verse that as Jesus is the Head so we, the church, are His body. And listen to these verses as well…
Eph 4:16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
1 Cor 12:27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
The church is not an institution but an organism. It exists and functions only by reason of its vital relationship with the risen Lord who is its Head.
And this body grows. Jesus feeds the body through His word and through the Holy Spirit.
Col 2:19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
Eph 5:29-30 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body.
And God is causing it to grow. To grow in to the likeness of His Son, Jesus. Look further at Eph 5 with me. Starting at verse 25b Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Church is not about making people happy, it’s about making people holy. That’s God’s desire for the church.
So what are the implications of what we have learned so far?
1. The church is the center of God’s program on earth today. Never be embarrassed to say that you are a Christian and that you are a member of the church. Never let the church be defined by what it has done in the past or is doing in the present. Let Scripture define what is the church.
2. Becoming a Christian not only changes your relationship with God but your relationship with other believers. Becoming a member of God’s family means that now you have a whole bunch of brothers and sisters! Being like living stones in God’s Temple means you have other stones around you, others supporting you, and some that you are supporting. Being part of the body means that you have to work in harmony with the other parts of the Body so that it can function properly. You cannot be part of the Body and yet independent of that Body. But 81% of American people say they can arrive at their own religious views w/o regard to a body of believers. And that 62% of the unchurched (those who have not been to church in the last 6 months) consider themselves to be Christian. How can you be a Christian, a part of God’s church and not be in relationship with other believers? The most often phrase used in the NT, just behind the phrase “in Christ”, is the phrase “one another”.
3. If we, the church, are the people of God, members of His family it is because He graciously chose us to be a part of His family. And since that is true, we likewise ought to be gracious to others.
4. If we, the church, are the body of Christ, then we ought to be unified with other members. Contention and criticism are cancers that kill.
5. Finally, if we, the church, are God’s Temple, them we ought to be holy as He is holy.