June 25, 2017 Christ our Savior blesses us daily!

June 25, 2017 Christ our Savior blesses us daily!
Why the Church is Vitally Important for Every Christian!
Romans 12:3-8
Why the Church is Vitally Important for Every Christian!
Romans 12:3-8
Introduction: What does the Bible have to say about the Church?
Mention the church to a group of Christians and you are likely to
get a mixed response. Some might say that, while they do love
Jesus they don’t love the church. Others might respond, “Of
course we love the church.” God has ordained the church, a
fellowship of the flawed, to carry out his purpose and will in the
• world. When we consider the biblical teaching on the church,
we realize the church is vitally important for growing in Christ.
Like a branch that grows because of its connection to the tree,
we thrive when we stay connected to the church.
*The church in the Bible: Old Testament Life and worship
When we can look at what the New Testament teaches about the
church, we first need to see what the Old Testament says about
life and worship. God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle-a
portable tent that represented the presence of God dwelling right
in the middle of His people. The tabernacle and later the temple
were places where God ordained the sacrifices to be carried out
and the festivals to be celebrated. The tabernacle
• and temple functioned as the central place of instruction and
teaching about God and His will for Israel. From the tabernacle
and temple, Israel sounded forth loud and joyful psalms of
praise and worship to God. The tabernacle and the temple
were meant to be the spiritual center for Israel.
*The Church in the Bible: Christ and the Gospels
The church did not officially come into existence until the day of
Pentecost, after Jesus had died and had risen. How ever, even in
the Gospels we learn many things from Christ concerning the
church. First, we have Jesus’ declaration, “I will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18).
• “Gates” likely represent the power of hell, which is no match
whatsoever for Jesus.
• Second, Jesus hands the church its mission statement and
purpose for existence when He gives the disciples the Great
Commission in Mt 28:16-20. As the church goes out into the
world, it is called to make disciples, carrying out the task of
baptizing the new disciples and teaching them all that Christ
has commanded. These activities must characterize every local
church’s work and life. The third thing we learn from Jesus
concerning the church comes from His high-priestly prayer in Jn.
17. At the end of the prayer, Jesus expressed to the Father, “I
made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it
known” (Jn. 17:26). We are literally the presence of Christ on earth
and the church’s mission is exactly the same as Christ’s mission: to
proclaim God’s name.
• The incarnation model of the church means that we live and
behave with full realization that we represent Christ to the
world and to each other.
*The Church in the Bible: The Book of Acts
Act tell the story of the church, from its inception on the day of
Pentecost in Acts 2 to chapter 28 with Paul at Rome. In between,
the church experiences tragedies and triumphs, sorrows and joys.
The book of Acts tells the story of the young church, persecuted
but bold.
• Two things stand out in the life of the early church. One
concerns the power of the Holy Spirit. At the end of the
Gospels we see apostles who were scared, even to the point of
hiding. Then in the early chapters of Acts these same apostles
boldly turn the world upside down. The key to understanding
what happened to them is seen in Acts 1:8 (in Christ’s
prophecy), then in Acts 2 (prophecy’s fulfillment). The apostles
received the Holy Spirit, and with the Spirit they received
Power. This same Spirit still binds believers together and brings us
into the family of God (Eph. 4:1-7). The Holy Spirit graciously gives
us spiritual gifts, according to Romans 12:3-8 and I Corinthians
12:4-11. God has designed the church to be the place where these
gifts are discovered, nurtured and used to build up the body of
Christ and bring it to maturity, ultimately for the glory of God (I
Cor. 14).
• First, the same Spirit who worked powerfully in the early
church continues to work in and through the church today.
Second, the book of Acts shows how the church functions and
what it does. Members of the early church “devoted
themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).
All these activities are essential to growing in Christ, and all occur
within the local church.
*The Church in the Bible: The Epistles
With a few exceptions, these books were written to churches,
stressing again the God-ordained stature of the church. In the
Epistles, especially the letters of Paul to Titus and Timothy, Paul
clearly could not conceive of living the Christian life apart from
the church. Paul and other NT writers often use word pictures to
describe the church. At one point Paul calls the church the
household of God ( I Tim.3:15). The church is a family (Gal.3:28;
Heb.13:1; I Pet.1:22). The church is a building ( Eph. 2:20-22; I
Pet. 2:4-5). The church is pictured as a flock of sheep ( I pet. 5:14). And one of Paul’s favorite metaphor is of the church as
Christ’s body ( Eph.4:11-16; I Cor.12:12-27). All of these metaphors
contribute to a fuller understanding of how to live the Christian
Life as a part of the church.
• The church is even pictured as a bride (II Cor. 11:2-4; Rev. 19:79; 21:1-4). It is the bride of Christ-a bride for whom Jesus died.
In the context of urging husbands to love their wives, Paul
writes that “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for
her’ ( Eph. 5:25). What more could be said to underscore and
establish the importance of the church for the Christian life?
*The Church as the Communion of Saints
From the very beginning of God’s dealing with His people, the
Bible has stressed community. In fact, biblical discussion of godly
living is almost always set in the context of growing together, in
community, as God’s people.
• For Christians today, and for the last 2,000 years, God has
established the local church as the vehicle for that community.
Some current movements seek to replace more traditional
understandings of the local church, seeing a group of friends
meeting together, for instance, as church. That’s not quite the
picture that we see in the NT.
In the NT, we see young and old mixing, as older women and men are to
teach younger women and men. We see people coming together to
worship who come from different stages in life, different occupations, and
different backgrounds. Paul stressed that social divides typical of most
groups in society have no place in the church. The church should be a
place of diversity, where each person can contribute to the whole. Limiting
oneself to a circle of peers is not sanctioned by Scripture and does not
promote spiritual growth.
• Sadly, in our day there are churches in which leaders try to
dominate their congregations rather than shepherd them in
the model of selfless love of Jesus. But those bad examples do
not take away the biblical command to gather and worship as a
church. Local churches undoubtedly have their flaws, because
they are made up of flawed, sinful people.
The Apostles’ Creed refers to the church as a “Communion of
saints.” As we come into the church we sometimes imagine that
there will be no problems, no conflicts, and no frustrations
among our community of saints. But we forget that we are a
community of flawed people, still burdened by our imperfections
and failures and sins. It is precisely because of our flaws and
faults that we need each other.
Summary:
1) Many today are confused about the role and place for the
church in their lives, saying God I love and Jesus is my Savior but
the church I don’t need.
2) The church is where God intended for spiritual growth should
take place. Where truth is to be examined and encouraged in
the lives of each of us.
3) The church is a place in which we reside that that Hades
cannot not keep me from my reward.
4) The church is a place where the Holy Spirit was poured out
and empowered the Lord’s disciples and that is for us today.
5) The Christian life was to be lived in fellowship with the church.
6) The church is a vehicle for the community to come to know God
and find salvation.
7) The church is a place where social divides are not to exist, but
we are to have a common bond with all.
8) The church is where saved sinners come to get help from one
another to fight the good fight and achieve God Himself
relationally and therefore His presence.
Benefits of attending church!
1) Church anchors us. (It provides much needed balance!)
2) We receive spiritual strength at church. (Strength/Lifts us up!)
3) Church provides fellowship. (Enriches our lives!)
4) Church provides opportunities to serve. (Give back!)
5) We get to know God. (Learning about God!)
6) Church gives us a chance to reflect on Gratitude. (Thanks!)
7) Church helps us connect us socially. (Friendship!)
8) Church allows us to feel reverence. (Awe about God!)
“There’s just something about being here that calms me down,
makes me feel connected and whole, and simply allows me to
breathe again.” Research shows- less depression/social support