Simple Theology: Church
What is church? Is it a building (“the church is on the corner”), a service (“let’s go to church on Sunday”), or an organization (“I love my church”)? Yes and no. But there’s one word that the Bible uses to describe church more than any other.
Transcript
THE MISCONCEPTION OF CHURCH
What is a common misconception you have, but have a hard time getting around? For me, it’s the concept of sunrises and sunsets. When we say the sun rises and sets, we’re basically saying that the sun moves. But we know the sun sits at the center of our solar system and really, it’s the Earth’s orbit and rotation that makes it feel like the sun moves. Today, we wrap up our series, Simple Theology, we finish up the series with a topic that has a lot of misconceptions. Our topic today is church. Now, when we think of church, I bet we all associated it with a building, organization, or event. We’re the church off 169 and 610. Or I’m a member of this church. Or I go to church on Sundays to sing worship songs and hear the pastor preach, but it’s so much more than that and I’m going to tell you why. Today, I’m going to define church as body. The church is body.
CHURCH AS BODY:
Church as a body is one of the most common metaphors used in the New Testament to describe the church. The word, church, comes from the Greek word, ekklesia, which refers to an assembly or gathering and one of the best passages about the church as the body is found in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Let me read it for us,
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.
In this passage, we find three essential natures of what the body is. They are:
Unity
Function and Diversity
And Love
Let me explain each.
UNITY
Verses 12-26 describe the church’s nature of being united. Paul describes the church as a body made up of many parts. They gather because they are
“baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body”.
The church is first, made up of individuals who are united to God through Jesus. And they are also united to each other because of their unity to God. Often, we refer to the church as a building where people come on Sunday The building is simply a location, but the church, the body, is primarily a gathering of people who are united to God and to each other. And the gather for a purposeful reason, which leads us to the second nature of the church.
FUNCTION AND DIVERSITY
When the members gather, there is a function. There is a purpose for the church to gather and 3 primary functions are:
Worship God
Encourage the believers
Share the gospel
Worshipping God means we honor God because he is worth honoring. We worship Him by singing, being thankful, sharing with others what He’s done in our lives, etc. The second function is to encourage each other. In 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 it says,
“but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
And Hebrews says it even better,
“24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
The members celebrate, suffer, encourage, instruct, teach, and sympathize with each other. The third function is to share the gospel so others can be united with God and the church. This was Jesus’ last commandment to his disciples and us. We can share the gospel through evangelism, mission trips, and serving the community.
Though the purpose and the function of the church are few, we’re not limited in how we go about doing these things. Each member has a unique gifting, role, and responsibility to worship, build each other up, and share the gospel. Paul says this in verses 17-20,
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
We all have unique and diverse ways to carry out the function of the church and it’s our job to find ways to encourage each other to do so, which leads us to the last nature of the church, love.
LOVE
The church needs to be driven to do everything in love. The reason why Paul wrote 1 Corinthians is largely because the church didn’t operate out of love. They struggled with disunity, selfishness, and arrogance causing them to overlook those that they should’ve cared for and loved. They argued against one another to see who was greater based on the leader they followed or the gifting they had. So, in response, Paul responds to the issue the Corinthians faced. He writes this in 1 Corinthians 13:1-7,
1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
You’ll often hear this passage preached at weddings, but it’s really a passage for the church. Love is the church’s primary attitude. A love that is patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud. A love that doesn’t dishonor, isn’t self-seeking, isn’t easily angered, or doesn’t keep records of wrong. A love that rejoices in truth. A love that protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Love is the essential nature of the church next to unity and function. Now earlier, I talked about misconceptions about my perspective of the sun. And if I think about it, it’s kind of a selfish perspective. It’s this idea that the world revolves around me. And if we examine these 3 essential natures of the church there is a common misconception of the church. Oftentimes, we have a very selfish view of the church.
APPLICATION
I think the greatest misconception about the church is that it’s about me. I go to church for my benefit. I go when I want to. I serve when it’s convenient. I give when I can. I’ll listen to a sermon if it sounds good. We live in a society that values individualism and unfortunately, the church isn’t about that. The church exists to honor God and honor others. The church is about the body. It isn’t about me or you, but it’s about others.
To be a part of the church means you are a part of this. You’re all about experiencing unity with God and unity with others who are united with God. You’re all about worshiping God, encouraging believers, and sharing the gospel. You’re all about doing this in an attitude of Christ-like love. Church is about being a part of the body and benefitting the body. It’s not just what you get out of it, but what are you giving to. So, take a moment and consider what you are doing to contribute to the church. How are you a part of the body? What are you doing to contribute to the body? And what is your attitude towards being a part of the body?
I want us to end service by taking communion. If you believe Jesus to be your savior, I invite you to take communion, but if not, please observe, but don’t take it. Communion is one of the two unique things that churches celebrate. The other is baptism. Communion is meant to reaffirm our identity. In Corinthians 11:17-29, Paul provides instruction about communion, but he also provides a warning. This is what he says,
17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 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. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.
In the church’s early, communion was celebrated with feasts. Communion was supposed to remind the believers about Jesus’ sacrifice for all of us, but when the church took communion, some of the members neglected the purpose of the meal and stood divided from others. Sometimes the poor weren’t invited to eat so they left hungry while others overindulged and left drunk. The central focus of this celebration was to remember Christ’ sacrifice so Paul warns the believers to examine themselves before they eat the bread and drink the wine. They were to examine if they expressed unity and love for others or not.
So, as we prepare to eat, I invite you to take a moment to examine your life. Have you done anything to cause disunity and hate within the church? If not, praise God and ask God what you can do to continue to demonstrate unity and love like Jesus within the body. If you have caused disunity and hate, take it to God and ask for forgiveness. Trust that you are forgiven knowing that you can still partake in communion, and I’d encourage you to seek forgiveness from the people you’ve hurt. And ask God what you can do to demonstrate unity and love like Jesus. Again, if you believe Jesus to be your savior, I invite you to take communion, but if not, please observe, but don’t take it. The elements are at your table and I invite you to grab one. Let us take the bread first. This is the bread, which represents Jesus’ body, broken for us. Let us eat the body. Next, let us take the juice. This is the juice, which represents Jesus’ blood that was shed for our sins. Let us drink the blood. Let’s pray.