Who or what is the church?

Who or what is the

Church?

Europe Edition

hat comes to mind when you think about church? Boring? Disorganised? Petty? Old fashioned buildings? How does your view of the church match up to the apostle Paul’s? [God’s] intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. —Ephesians 3:10-12 (emphasis added)

Apparently the church is a key expression of God’s wisdom! How can that be right? Churches are full of hurting, imperfect people. How can they show the “manifold wisdom of God”? Perhaps it has something

to do with “his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus”. The church is indeed full of broken, disappointed and messed up people. Yet they may, without fear of judgement or rejection, “approach God with freedom and confidence”. The church is the wisdom of God because it shows His salvation plan: anyone in the world, even the most desperate, can be The church is the made right with God “in [Christ] and through faith”. wisdom of God That perspective shows because it shows just how incredible and His salvation plan: unique the church really is! People in the church anyone in the are not defined by their world, even the abilities, strengths or good deeds, but by their total most desperate, dependence on God. With can be made that as our starting point, we’re going to have a look right with God at how the Bible describes “in [Christ] and the church and how we can through faith”. embrace the purpose God intended for His people. We can’t cover everything here, but we can, using Scripture, lay a helpful and God-centred foundation for our understanding of the church.

[2] WHO OR WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

A biblical description of the church

n the Bible, the church is most commonly described as the “body” of Christ, with Him being the “head” over that body—because only when we submit to Him do we receive His forgiveness and the fullness of life that He offers (Eph. 1:7,22-23; Col. 1:18). Being the body of Christ means that we belong to Christ and are to be Christ (so, His representatives and witnesses) on this earth. His priorities should be our priorities; His love, our love. Followers of Christ are called to continue the rescue mission of Christ: “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17). This is the mission of those who know what it means to be broken, yet loved and forgiven by God. As the “body” of Christ, we are people who have been transferred from judgement, because of our sin, into the safety of His kingdom through Christ’s death and resurrection (Col. 1:13-14). Now we are to be His ‘hands’ and ‘feet’ in this world, inviting others to join us under the rule and protection of the King (Col. 1:28).

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But it also important to remember that all churches All churches are made up of needy people. are made Once anyone trusts Christ and joins His church, they don’t up of needy suddenly lose their problems, people. burdens or their past. As we are reminded in the book of Hebrews, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, 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” (10:24-25). God has put us together, as a united body, because we need one another to lovingly spur each of us on to keep trusting Christ and focusing on His promised return. Let’s look at both of these elements in a practical way: the love of the church, and the rescue mission of the church.

[4] WHO OR WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

The love of the church

s Paul reminded the church of Corinth, God gives His people all manner of spiritual gifts in order to teach, serve, encourage, equip and strengthen fellow believers (1 Cor. 12). But Paul went on to explain that ultimately the most important thing is that Christians love one another (1 Cor. 13:1-3), saying that without love “I am nothing” (v. 2). So what does it mean for God’s people to love one another? What should churches, these places of love, look like? Places of welcome for broken, imperfect people: Even the most polished, thriving churches are made up of imperfect people. If churches are places of love, then we shouldn’t have to cover up our weaknesses and pretend we are strong. Each church-goer is like a recovering alcoholic who knows they can be quickly tempted to fall back into old habits. Every member struggles with the old ways of self-centredness every day. Yet the church is not a place of judgement, but of support, discipline, teaching and strengthening. The Church is driven by a genuine love and concern that wants to see each person, through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, become more and more like Christ, living a “full” life in Him (John 10:10). Seeing the extent of our imperfection is essential in having good church relationships. It keeps us honest, encourages personal humility and helps us respect

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others (Titus 3:1-3). It also gives us good reason to be merciful towards the wrongs and weaknesses of those around us. We have all been saved and transformed by the mercy and grace of God, without room for boasting, pride or self-righteousness (Eph. 2:8). The church was never meant to be for well-rounded people who’ve ‘got it all together’. This means the church should be a place where ordinary, struggling people can feel safe to share their burdens in order to receive prayerful support and encouragement. It’s not always easy to welcome and accept people who may initially seem strange, disturbing or simply different to us. Yet knowing our own struggles, we should extend genuine friendship and compassion to whoever we meet in our churches. The command for the body of Christ is: Live in peace with each other . . . warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. —1 Thessalonians 5:13-15 (emphasis added)

A place of unity: The kind of church God builds is made up of people who think: I’m not mature until I realise how much I need others. The idea of rugged individualism is totally alien to the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, the apostle Paul asked how much sense it would make if various parts of a body decided they didn’t need other parts. His point is that God doesn’t just put body parts together, but a church body! Paul wrote: [6] WHO OR WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 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!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. —1 Corinthians 12:20-27 In the mix of this body, God places rich and poor, locals and foreigners, introverts and extroverts, young and old, singers and speakers. It is such a varied group, that it should never work. And yet this is precisely why it shows the “wisdom of God”. The unity and coreliance of this group can only come from His Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13) and the one gospel hope we share. The wide range of individuals shows His church is for everyone, without partiality. A place of growth: Paul warned the church at Ephesus not to live like those who don’t yet know God: “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them” (Eph. 4:18). Instead of being ignorant, the church is a place of instruction and teaching about who God is and the life He calls us to.

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Paul explains that we should “no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (vv. 14-15). Paul understood that the church exists for the education of people who need to learn a new language of love, a new life philosophy, a new logic, a new view of relationships and, ultimately, the culture of heaven. Our need in the church is not for strict adherence to specific traditions or for teaching on the ‘latest’ fads. Our mission in the church is to help one another see the difference that biblical thinking can make in the disappointments of home life, in the insecurities of the workplace, in the fear of sickness and in all the real struggles of daily living. We need teaching that will help us “become in every respect the mature body of [Christ]”. Church should help us focus our attention back on Christ and His promises to us, so that we can have real hope and confidence in Him, even in the most trying of times. This may mean that our services, prayer groups, study times and one-to-ones are not full of new teaching. Instead they will be full of reminders of truths we already know, but quickly forget. We often forget who we are before God, how we got that way and how we should be living now (in other words, the ‘basics’ of our faith and the gospel message). The growth of a church often relies on the members of the congregation being willing to gently remind each other of God’s love and His ability to lead us through any situations whilst bringing glory to His name. [8] WHO OR WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

The rescue mission of the church

esus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). This is the wonderful truth about our King—He is on a rescue mission for lost, helpless, hopeless people. And the place of safety and new life He provides for them is Himself. The church, being His body, should be a safe place for people to be directed again and again to the love, forgiveness and leading of Jesus. Whilst many of us experience that in our churches, there are hundreds and thousands of lost people in our communities who still need to be reached by the only Doctor who has the cure for their condition. As the hands and feet of this Doctor, we need to be actively reaching out and inviting in the people around us so they too can meet with the God who offers new life. The need of the lost: As people who were lost and know what it is like to be without eternal hope, the church’s first concern should be for those who are still separated from God. We need to be alert to the seriousness of our rescue mission:

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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. —2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (emphasis added)

Most of the people in our communities don’t know there is a real heaven, and also a real hell where the majority of them will lose everything they ever dreamed of having. We have the responsibility, as “Christ’s ambassadors” to make the truth known and share the incredible reconciliation God offers through Jesus. Christ went to the cross to die in our place and rise again to new life so that we could “become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). But all who are still strangers to God, and who continue to reject Him, will find no relief in eternity, only His judgement (Heb. 9:27). And we also need to remember that the lost people around us may not look lost. They may look like they are doing quite well for themselves. But church [10] WHO OR WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

members should always have this gospel perspective towards the people they meet: those without Jesus are in terrible peril (John 3:18) while their sins are still “count[ed] against them” (2 Cor. 5:19). This should give us a severe sense of urgency to communicate Christ to the world. He has given us the responsibility to be part of this essential rescue mission, while promising that He is “with [us] always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Serving local communities: It is important to remember that the church is not simply a hive of evangelists and preachers being sent out to proclaim the message of salvation. As we are to speak of the love of God, we are also to back this up by displaying it as well. James reminds us: “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16). Many will be challenged to seek God not because we spoke a powerful sermon or took them through an outline of the gospel, but because we cared for them and met them in their needs. It is important that our churches are an active and positive part of our communities, showing real and practical love. It is through things like dropin centres, coffee mornings, food banks and other support groups that the church will show a genuine invitation for others to come and meet the God at the centre of such gracious and generous activities.

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Finding the perfect church

t has been said that there is no such thing as a perfect church. No congregation meets the full criteria without fault. And even if it did, it would quickly become imperfect as soon as we joined up! Churches are, by definition, made up of imperfect people who meet regularly together because of their need for their perfect and loving Saviour—and for the encouragement and support of one another. Yet, in another sense, every God-centred church is perfect. All who believe in Christ are perfect, whole and complete in Him (Col. 1:28). This perfection, forgiveness and redemption is a gift purchased with Jesus’ own blood (Eph. 1:7). Truly the church is the “wisdom of God”, displaying the power of God to save, protect and transform people of all nations and backgrounds to the praise of His glory! If you are looking for a local church to join, it might help to remember some of the key things highlighted in this booklet: • Does the church you’re thinking of joining offer a welcome to anyone and everyone? • Do the church members seek to help each other become more Christ-like?

• Is the gospel hope the foundation of the church’s vision, teaching and care? • Does the church look to serve the local community practically whilst offering the hope of Jesus?

You can also enjoy more in-depth studies on the church (and many other important topics) at discoveryseries.org. [12] WHO OR WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

 Looking Deeper The Looking Deeper series offers great Bible teaching for Christians. Whether you are a new Christian or a mature believer, we have a range of short Bible studies on many crucial topics and questions. At Our Daily Bread Ministries, our mission is to make the life changing wisdom of God’s Word understandable and accessible to all. We’re passionate about helping our readers draw closer to God and share their faith in Him with those they know. Please do share these Looking Deeper articles with others who may benefit from them. You can request print copies of any of the titles on the Looking Deeper website page. All our resources are available to all without any obligation to donate. However, should you wish to support Our Daily Bread Ministries financially, you can do so by clicking the link below.

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