What Is a Church? - Part II

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This is the second sermon in a short series that attempts to explain what the church is and what it does. This message continues to explain the nature of the church from a biblical perspective. Various metaphors used in the Bible help us define the church and its purpose. 

Written Excerpts:

Ephesians 5:32 (NKJV) This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 

Introduction:

I came across this interesting story about a church. I hope our church does not match this one.

GETTING ATTENTION (Illustrations Unlimited)

Just before the beginning of the Sunday service at Saint Bartholomew's on Fifth Avenue, New York City, a man wearing a large hat was discovered sitting in the front row. An usher moved to his pew, leaned in, and discreetly asked him to remove his hat. The man replied that he would not. The head usher was then summoned, made the same request, and received the same answer. About that time the president of the women of the parish arrived and was asked to assist. She had the same dismal result. Finally, with only two minutes remaining before the opening hymn, the senior warden of the parish was summoned. He tiptoed up beside the man and tried to seize the hat, but the man nimbly dodged and there was not time for further attempts.

As the opening hymn began and the procession entered the church, the man stood, removed his hat and did not put it on again.

At the conclusion of the service, the four frustrated people waited for the man at the rear of the church. The senior warden approached him and said, "Sir, about the hat: perhaps you don't understand, but in the Episcopal church men do not wear hats at worship." The man replied, "Oh, but I do understand. I've been an Episcopalian all my life. As a matter of fact, I've been coming to this church regularly for two years and I've never met a soul. But this morning I've met an usher, the head usher, the president of the church women, and the senior warden."

Shame on us if someone visits even one service here without getting acquainted with someone! This story illustrates a glaring fault that exists in some churches. But the message today is not intended to focus on the faults of the church. We want to understand the biblical concept of the church – what it is and what it does.

Last Sunday I mentioned that I had preached a mini-series about the church over 10 years ago when I first came to Wayside church. Since a number of people are now attending here that were not attending then, I felt that God was prompting me to revisit the topic and help us grasp a true biblical view of the church.

Last week I started by identifying four things that the church is not.

• It is not an organization/denomination.
• It is not a building.
• It is not merely a ritual/ceremony/meeting
• It is not a social club

After identifying the what the church isn’t, I tried to describe what the church is, and we only had time for two points. 

• It is a congregation/assembly/gathering.
• It is a fellowship/community/common body.

You can’t “one-another” one another if you hardly gather with one another!

Today I want to add to the two points mentioned last week and speak to you more about what the church really is according to the Scriptures.

I.          The church is an organism.

Last Sunday I stated that the church is not an organization. I went on to say that while the church does have some elements of organization about it, that is not its primary characteristic. Rather than primarily being an organization, the church is better defined as an organism.

Organization implies man-made; organism implies God-made. Jesus Christ founded the church and initiated its beginning. He is the one that defines its purpose and mission.

Organization may imply status quo; organism implies growing and expanding. Many times the leaders of an organization eventually become more and more concerned with preserving the “machinery” of institution/ organization and end up making its mission secondary, while an organism is more focused on just doing what it was meant to do – keeping focused on its mission.

What are some words/descriptions/metaphors used in the Scriptures that indicate the church is primarily an organism?

“Body” – Romans 12:5 (NKJV)  so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

Ephesians 1:22-23 (NKJV) And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

“Grow” – Ephesians 4: 14-16 (NKJV) that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine… but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. 

These are just a couple of words that indicate the fact that the church is a living, growing, thriving organism. 

II.        The church is a faith community.

Last Sunday we talked about the fact that the church is a fellowship or a community. The Scriptures emphasize over and over how the people of God – the members of the church are connected together with a common bond of mutual love, care and concern for each other.

As we talked about that we referred to the passages in the Bible where the apostles used the words “one another” in which there is an emphasis upon doing specific things with/for each other within the body. I will probably revisit that point again when we talk about “what the church does.”

If you think about it, there are plenty of other groups/organizations that function like the church in the way they care for one another. Social clubs and civic clubs do a lot of “one another” stuff. Other religions do similar “one another” stuff. What makes the church of Jesus different?

I would argue that the main difference is, the church is a community of faith. It is distinguished by its faith in God; By its faith in the reliability and authority of His Word; By its faith in the reality of salvation. This faith is what distinguishes a church from any other benevolent/caring club or organization.

So, a person cannot truly be a member of THE church until they have exercised faith in Christ and experienced the salvation offered only by faith. This distinguishes a true Christ-follower / Church “member” from a club member. You can join most any club without really having a personal change in your heart and life, but not the church.

Because of the community built on its faith, the body has a higher motivation for doing what it does. It has a higher calling with a higher accountability. Social organizations perform humanitarian assistance, but the church views its work as carrying out a mandate given by God for people God loves. The church has the motivation of not only obeying God’s commands but seeing others as either members or potential members of God’s family.

We’ll get more into the discussion of what the church does, but I’m simply trying to explain why the church does its work –  because of its faith. There is an eternal significance to it all.

III.       The church is a sacred community.

Not only is the church a FAITH community, but it is a sacred community.

I believe there are at least two reasons why it is a sacred community.

A. It is sacred because Christ purifies it and makes it holy.

Eph. 5:25-26 (NKJV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,

B. It is sacred because it is in a mystical union with Christ Himself. 

Ephesians 5:32 (NKJV) This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

The church will become the forever “Bride of Christ,” which means that even now it is the “betrothed” of Christ (His “fiancé”).

IV.       The church is a local and a universal community.

In the book of Acts, there was a recognition of individual local churches in specific geographic areas, yet there was an additional sense of the connection between all of them.

Acts 8:1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem…. 

Acts 9:31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified.

Rom. 16:5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house....

Paul also uses the word “church” many times to include the entire church of Jesus – the church universal.

(Quoted earlier) Eph. 1:22-23 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

1 Cor. 12:28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles….

Rev. 5:9 … You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.

With these various passages we understand that the whole church is a universal church, but there is also a sense in which each local church is also a whole church. The universal church has all the gifts and graces necessary to perform the mission assigned by God. The local church, especially when it is Spirit-filled, has all the gifts and graces necessary to perform the mission assigned to it by God.

V.        The church is a visible and an invisible community.

By this we mean that members of the church of Jesus are real people living and working in the real world, and visible to others in the real world. But, there is also a sense in which people cannot always tell the difference between the real and the fake. We can’t always distinguish between the genuine believer and the hypocrite.

Cf. the parable of the tares. Matthew 13:24-30. The real wheat and the weeds mixed in together. Separation takes place at the end of life.

2 Tim. 2:19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," ….

This verse is a quote from the OT passage, Numbers 16:5 (NKJV) and he spoke to Korah and all his company, saying, "Tomorrow morning the LORD will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him.

In both the OT and NT usages, the point is that God knows all those that truly follow Him and those who don’t. He will distinguish between them when the time is right.

Conclusion:

I hope that these verses and our study has been a valuable reminder of what the church of Jesus really is. I trust that we recognize that the church of Jesus is a unique organism that God has raised up in the world.

This organism known in Scripture as the Body of Christ, soon to be the Bride of Christ, is God’s kingdom on earth and He has given His people a task and mission to fulfill, which we will take up in next Sunday’s message.

Closing Song: I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord