(Message delivered on Dec 29, 2002 at Renaissance Church in Chico CA)
The Christian Faith Series, Part 2
December 29, 2002
Mike Chenevey
A little girl was in church with her mother when she started feeling ill. “Mommy,” she said, “can we leave now?” “No,” her mother replied. “Well, I think I have to throw up!”
“Then go out the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush.” After about 60 seconds the little girl returned to her seat. “Did you throw up?” Mom asked. “Yes.” “How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?” “I didn’t have to go out of the church, Mommy. They have a box next to the front door that says, ‘For the Sick’.”
A Sunday school teacher asked the children, just before she dismissed them to go to church, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?” Little Johnny jumped up and yelled, “Because people are sleeping!”
Last week we discussed the fundamentals of the Christian faith – the “faith once delivered” to the saints. We talked about what essentially and uniquely makes Christianity Christian. We discussed the Bible, the trinity, and the divinity of Jesus. The topic I want to talk about today is the church. This is a very important concept in the Christian faith!
When you hear the word “church” what do you think of? Some people think of a place where everything requires perfection (dress, manners, every little thing). Some people think it’s a boring place where the speaker is monotone and a lot of elderly folks gather together before going to lunch at Denny’s. Some people think church is the building. The bigger and better the building is, the bigger and better the church must be – so it goes. Some people see the church as a business – into gathering money for various things.
There are lots of crazy ideas out there, but one thing is obvious – those people have never been to the Renaissance! We surely don’t fit what most people think of when they think of “church.”
But even more fundamental than how we perceived (or are perceived), what is the church? The building? The people? The budget? I have a definition for you:
The Church is “the community of all true believers for all time.”
“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” Eph. 5:25 (NIV).
The term, “the church” is applied to everyone for whom Jesus died. All who are “redeemed.” This is a very important concept. Jesus has been given a place of high authority because of the church:
“And God placed all things under [Jesus’] feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” Eph. 1:22-23.
And Jesus builds the church by calling those He desires to Himself: “. . . I will build my church” Matt. 16:18.
It says in the book of Acts that church growth is not based on Human effort alone, but God brings the increase:
“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” Acts 2:47.
So, what are some key characteristics of the church?
- The biblical words used to describe the church
The word in Hebrew (the language of the Old Testament) and Greek (the language of the New Testament) refer to a “gathering.” But it was not people gathering to hang out, or drink coffee, or sing favorite songs.
In general, this term “church,” even in the Old Testament, referred to a “gathering of people for the purpose of worshipping God.”
- The visibility of the church
The church is visible, yet invisible. It is visible in the sense that we have local churches, such as the Renaissance. Yet, because only God knows the heart (“The Lord knows those who are His” – 2 Tim. 2:19), the “true” church (the community of all true believers for all time) is not visible to you and me. As much as some of us think we can (and I have met plenty who think they can), we don’t have the ability to see the spiritual condition of people’s hearts. This fact ought to humble us before God and our fellow human beings.
We can see outwardly those who attend church; we also can see outward evidences of inward spiritual changes. But only God can view the true spiritual state of individuals.
So the invisible church is “the church as God sees it.”
As a slight aside, the 16th century protestant reformers, notably Martin Luther and John Calvin, very much affirmed the invisible church as opposed to the way the Roman Catholics viewed it (and still view it), that their visible church is the only true church, continuing the unbroken succession of bishops, from the apostles to the present day Pope. The reformers insisted that the visible church was just an outward form, and its leaders may or may not truly follow God’s ways.
So the visible church is “the church as Christian believers on earth see it.” Not just anyone, like unbelievers or others, but those who are genuine believers.
This may come as a shock to you, but the “visible church” as it exists in its various forms throughout the world, will always contain some unbelievers. Now, this is sometimes taken to an extreme, and I have met people who seem to doubt most people being true Christians. It is my intent that we should welcome all who enter these doors, and deal with sin if it arises in a public way. By the way, although we are not the ones who see people’s hearts and judge others standing before God, we have been given the duty to judge sin, especially as it affects or has the potential to affect the church family and its health.
- The location of the church
The church is both local and universal. What I am saying is, the church exists wherever two or more are gathered in His name. There is no other qualifier. The church can be small – meet in a house:
“Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus . . . Greet also the church that meets at their house.” Rom. 16:3-5
The church can also refer to all the believers in a particular city (1 Cor. 1:2 – “To the church of God in Corinth”), or it can refer to a region (Acts 9:31 – “The church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria”).
And, the church throughout the world is called “the church” (1 Cor. 12:28 – talking about the gifts God has distributed in the church).
So, we should be careful to avoid saying that the only “right expression” of the church is a house church, or only a city-wide type of expression, or only the church in its universal presence can rightly be called “the church.” The community of God’s people at any level can rightly be called a church. So we qualify!
- Metaphors for the church
The writers of Scripture used a variety of metaphors to describe the church, so we could better understand it. I am going to discuss two this week, and two next week:
- Family
The Apostle Paul explains the church as a large family to Timothy:
“Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity” 1 Tim. 5:1-2.
And God is seen as father many times:
“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” 2 Cor. 6:18
In certain places, believers are referred to as brothers and sisters (Matt. 12:49; 1 John 3:14), and we are truly brothers and sisters in God’s family (although we don’t necessarily have to change the way we address each other! I don’t go to my brother in Ohio and call him “brother Jeff”).
The church is a family. We are here to support one another, and this family you see here will outlast your blood relatives. Some of you can rejoice in that!
In my own life, I looked my whole life for people outside my family who would love and care for me. Who wouldn’t put me down, or steal from me, or call me names, or be fickle; who would support me in my crazy ventures or my sometimes ideal dreams. Who would just be there for me when I needed help.
I looked for it in my elementary and secondary school peers, but it was not there.
I looked for it in my Roman Catholic “spiritual stewards” but it was not there.
I looked for it in co-workers, managers, bosses. It was not there.
I looked for it in young women, college peers, and friends. It was not there.
I didn’t find it in the church I was committed to.
You know what? I see it here at Renaissance. I know we are small, and we all don’t have a lot of time or resources to share, but that is only temporary. We have what it takes to be that loving, caring support for each other. We can do it, and be different than what we all have experienced in the past.
Some of you have read in the book of Acts, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47.
Kris and I set out to intentionally create this kind of community here at Renaissance. Sure, not many people know about it, but I am convinced it will catch on as we love and care for each other.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Rom. 12:9-13
The whole idea of “Encouraging people to fulfill their God-given purpose” is very much in line with what I have been saying. This is our heart, to encourage others and care for them. Let’s start with our own family here, and it will catch like wild fire in out Chico community!
- Bride of Christ
I remember back in seminary, all third (or senior) year students had to go through what was called the “Third Assessment.” Each of us had to prepare a detailed statement of our faith – our theology – and then stand before a group of professors and our peers and defend it. We were also presented with random questions. I remember attending one student’s third assessment and she was asked the question, how would you describe the church? She stumbled around, talked about the gathering of believers, and he asked her, what does the “bride of Christ” mean? After three years of Master’s level instruction and work, she had no idea!
The Bible tells us, “. . . a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery–but I am talking about Christ and the church” Eph. 5:31-32
“I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him” 2 Cor. 11:2
I think we miss this one too often, and it is easy to do in a society that devalues the marriage commitment and the monogamous exclusivity God planned for each of us.
In our culture, marriage is looked at in various ways:
- Some see it as monogamous, but in a serial fashion (one after another). “Serial monogamy,” as we call it.
- Some see it as a legal standing for the state, or for tax purposes; a formality for those who are otherwise committed. In other words, God has no part of their relationship. I believe this characterizes the majority of marriages out there. No wonder we have so much divorce.
- Some see it as a joining of two people who will stay together only under various conditions: as long as the “feeling” of love remains, or until life gets difficult, or until someone seemingly better comes along – who better understands you, or who is better looking, or who is younger.
But I am here to tell you with all sincerity, that the feeling of love will come and go. Life will get difficult – to the point that you will wonder if you can handle it any more (but you have Jesus and your church family!). Others who seem better than your mate will come along. They will seem to understand you better, and be better looking, etc. But the grass is not greener elsewhere. The grass is greener where you water it.
In spite of how our culture sees it, in many ways, the earthly joining of two people – husband and wife – is a close representation of the relationship between Jesus and His people.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church.” Eph. 5:25-29
And the good news is, the bride is being prepared in these days to be presented to her husband – Jesus himself. We are continually in a preparing process, getting ready to meet Him. One day, we will all meet Him and be united to Him, as a husband to a wife, and that will be a wonderful day. A hopeful vision!
The point of these messages on the Christian faith is to both inform and encourage you. We started last week with a brief overview of the faith – the basics. The church has many expressions, and exists all over the world. Many people call them “churches” when they refer to the local expression. They are really all part of the universal Christian church. They are not separate religions, as many think! I like to refer to them as denominations, because they really only differ in name and expression of worship.
Sure you know that there are indigenous (i.e., home-grown) denominations in Europe and North and South America. But did you know that there are also Christian groups that date back to the first centuries AD in Ethiopia, India, Armenia, and North Africa?
The fundamentals are the same between all of us. Here is an early expression of the fundamentals:
The Nicene Creed
(325 A.D.; revised at Constantinople, 381 A.D.)
I believe in one God the Father Almighty; Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate ; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And one Holy catholic and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
