CHURCH AGAIN ! 27th Feb 2005
: 1 Photo of Church
F CHURCH
What do you think of when you see or hear,
use this word?
: 2 Newsletter
administration, rotas, requests for volunteers,
F vicar, worship together, special occasions,
F financial needs… asking for money.
The other week I was told that ony recently had I started talking about tithing hadn’t talked about it before. I know I have mentioned tithing before.. but maybe I haven’t mentioned it enough and I apologise for that… maybe God had to use our decrease in giving and our increase in contributions to the Diocese to make me realise that talking about tithing was something I needed to do. But actually, and more importantly
I think I ought to apologise if I haven’t talked about the CHURCH enough. And I will tell you why it matters that I haven’t talked enough about the Church - later on.
While I was talking to someone this week who was feeling just a little bit disappointed, a little let down, just feeling as if not getting support from others that they would have liked to receive… I thought again the problem is that maybe we still don’t understand who we are? And if we did understand who we are as church, then I don’t think that we would have any financial problems at all… not unless the PCC were reckless and foolish with the money that is entrusted to them.. and I know that they are not.
F friends, relationships… It is about YOU and other people, it is about ME and other people. About how we live and work together, how we support and love one another.
: 3 Smiling people
The bible says the church is about PEOPLE
F 1 Peter 2:9-10
: 4 Rome - ekklesia
St. Paul addressed his letters to the church… word he used was ekklesia (where we get our word ecclesiastical from) … simply means a gathering of people. In new testament times in any city there would be lots of ecclesias, an ekklesia of fishmongers, an ekklesia of silversmiths or market traders,
Paul simply wrote to the ekklesia of God.
:5 PEOPLE
The church is more than a club it is people who meet together, because they know they belong to God.
There are different ways in which the people of God can meet together…
F Celebration
Every summer last few years been to New Wine. Thousands of Christians from different denominations coming together to worship Jesus. You know that Pam and I have often encouraged people to meet in Celebration like this. It is a time when we can receive a bigger vision of God, we can be encouraged to see a bigger picture of the body of Christ. Over several days can give time and attention to God in a special way.. just like the people of God did in Old Testament times at the feast of tabernacles, or Passover. Some of you used to go to large celebrations years ago... haven’t been for the last ten twenty, or more years. If that is you.. well if you needed to meet together in Celebration then... you still do now.
Christians will gather in Celebration when they meet Jesus. The picture that the bible gives of that great day when Christians stand together in the presence of King Jesus.. says it will be a great celebration.. with a multitude that no one can count, and it won’t all be over in 2 hours.
F Congregation
As one person among five thousand… we are known to God… but much less likely to be known to one another. And so the people of God also need to meet in a local congregation. In a local church you can know many of the members. Within the local congregation people can pray for each other, can work together and co-operation with one another in activities designed to show the love of God to the people where they live. Working together, members of a congregation can be Jesus in the community where God has placed them.
Cefn Lea is a time for us to meet together as congregation.. it is for everyone…. not for just some. We want to make it accessible to everyone, everyone to enjoy it.
Jane and Phil and Mark and James are away this weekend with the congregation of Fleet Baptist Church…, leading them in worship, meeting with the Holy Spirit. Fleet Baptists do it… lots of congregations do it.. we need to do it.. each and every one can give quality time to be with God and with one another.
Still not going to know 100 people really well.
As Christians we need to be able to talk and pray with folk who we know and trust.. and we need to care for one another.. so we need to meet in smaller groups…
F Cell Small group. REAL Group, 18 plus group part of our Real group network. In a small group friendships can be built. In a small group people can learn to be more open with one another, can learn how to pray for one another. In small groups pray for needs of the church and community.. meet before church on Sunday, pray at 5:00 Monday, 7:30 Saturday morning, other times like the once a month 9:00 meeting on Wednesday. Those opportunities to meet in small groups are important.
I have been encouraged recently to hear of one or two people wanting to join our Real groups… but the simple fact is EVERY MEMBER OF THIS CHURCH SHOULD BE EAGER – HUNGRY - WANTING TO BE PART OF a smaller group of Christians to pray and study God’s word with them. If the present structure is not meeting that need.. then tell me… or tell Norma let’s put you in touch with people who can be available at the times when you can. If you do not meet with other Christians who are members of your church, to pray and to study the bible and to worship together… then you have a problem, your growth as a follower of Jesus will be stunted.
In a small group we can say much more easily I don’t understand that at all, I haven’t got a clue what the sermon on Sunday was on about. I don’t understand this passage at all, I don’t agree with this bit. And in a small group we can HELP one another to live as followers of Jesus. Talking with other Christians praying with them, worshipping with them, loving them and being loved by them is not an optional extra for you as a Christian.. it is an essential requirement if you are going to live as a follower of Jesus.
:6 PEOPLE
Summarise
Celebration, Congregation, Cell
Lets look at four pictures the bible uses to help us to understand who we are as God’s people.
: Slide 7 Baby Clara
When we are born physically, a new life begins. We are born into a family, whether we get to know them well or not, we share the same DNA with Mother, father, grandparents, maybe a brother or sister.
Jesus once said that everyone who is born in this way… (physically) has to be born all over again
F I assure you…
I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God." (John 3:5-7)
: Slide 8 born again
We are born again when God’s Holy Spirit comes to live in us so that we begin to live a new sort of life - a life lived in a relationship with God.
When we receive forgiveness from God when we put our faith in Jesus, then we become God’s children, members of a new family.
It is a family that includes everyone who is in a relationship with him, who knows that they belong to their Father in heaven.
And so when we belong to Jesus, we become
FRomans 8:15-16
…God’s very own children, adopted into his family, calling him "Father, dear Father.“ For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children.
So your relationship with Jesus means that you have a new family…a family who are there to love and care for you, and a family who are there for you to love and care for. Look around… if you have been born again… this is your family. You share the same DNA, you belong to one another… for ever.
Your family has a responsibility to you… and you have a responsibility towards your family.
Sometimes people cut themselves off from their family, stop talking to other family members.. it hurts the whole family, and it hurts every individual.
Being part of a family is a privilege.. it was brill yesterday afternoon playing badminton next to my son… (even better when Pam and I played as a team against my son and daughter-in-law and beat them!) and being part of a family is costly sometimes, costly of our time costly of our time and costly of our resources. Can you say that St. John’s Community Church is your family… a family that you count it as a privilege to belong to, and a family that you know you have a responsibility for.
: 9 The Body
This picture helps us to understand more what it means to be church.
F 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body-
“I don’t need to go to Church to be a Christian” is something that people who are not Christians say.
The bible says that to live as a disciple of Jesus we have to live as part of his body, the local congregation.
I have had it said to me that “So and so.. don’t go to church but they are believers, or - she doesn’t belong to a church but she is a lovely Christian.” They
Believers who choose not to be part of a local congregation obviously do not believe that they have to be obedient to what the bible teaches.. and they are wrong in that belief. And if we going to be obedient to what the bible tells us about what it is to follow Jesus, then a Christian who will not be committed to living in relationship with the body of Christ.. is very UN-LOVELY, and very UN-LOVING. Someone who is grieving the Holy Spirit of God by their actions and attitudes… and hurting the body of Christ. And that is a seriously wrong thing to do.
If you got up one morning and a bit of your body was missing, you would notice it. Might even be a bit upset about it. In the same way the local body of Christ works when Christians are part of it.
If you remove a limb from your body two things will happen: Firstly It the body will not be able to work exactly as it did before. God’s purpose for me and for each one of you is that we should use the gifts that he has given to us as part of the body of the local church, working alone we are all ineffective, working together, combining the different gifts and talents that he has given, we can be used by God to build his Kingdom.
The second thing that will happen to a limb that is removed from the body is that it will wither and die.
And that is what happens, when people deliberately cut themselves off from the body of Christ… their love for Jesus dies, their prayer life dries up, they don’t learn from God’s word, they don’t grow in their understanding of God, they become spiritually dead and ineffective. The individual Christian suffers…
and the whole body suffers.
: 10 The Temple
The temple was the place where people met to meet with God. The new temple, the place where God is not a building… it is a people, the people of God, the family of God, the body of Christ… the Church.
F Ephesians 2:19-22
… And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Eph 2:19-22
It is not THIS building that matters… it is YOU and ME. WE ARE THE TEMPLE… Paul says to the Christians in Corinth who have been busy pulling in different directions, following their own particular individual preferences, doing their own thing…
F 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
God will bring ruin upon anyone who ruins this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you Christians are that temple.
In the way we worship together, love one other, bear and put up with one another, help one another, pray for one another, and then welcome and love and pray for others… in all of that… the purpose of Jesus is that those who are not Christians should see that the living God is active and present in his temple.
Sometimes I come across Christians who are forever wanting to go off to some great big celebration or gathering, or some mega church miles away. Now as I said before it is good to meet together for special times of Celebration.. but if you are craving that celebration experience every week… then you are missing the point.
THIS body is a temple of God,
this body of Christians is a place where his Holy Spirit dwells.
Is that not enough for you?
If you don’t feel as if the Spirit is here when we worship, and you give yourself an excuse to dash off somewhere else for a worship experience... please do the right thing instead of doing the wrong thing.
Instead of telling God that his word is wrong and your feelings are right ! - examine your own heart.
Because God’s word has declared that when his people meet together here… they ARE his temple, they ARE the dwelling place of his Spirit.
So if you are behaving as if God’s spirit is turning up somewhere else but not in your own church… then you had better examine your own attitudes towards other members of your Christian family, examine your own commitment, and ask yourself am I giving myself in love and service as a member of this body that Jesus has called me to.
And more often I meet Christians who tell lies to themselves.. they say things like…
“I need a rest from church this week” or “I’ll be better tonight if I don’t go the REAL group I just need some space.”
Or even “God will understand if I make something else more important than going to be part of his temple of praise on Sunday.”
You are wrong if you think that your spiritual life will be improved if you cut yourself off from worshipping in the assembly of God’s people.
If you are irregular and erratic in taking your place as a living stone in the temple of praise to God… then don’t be surprised if God begins to seem more and more distant, don’t be surprised if your love for Jesus grows cold and your love for the people of his church dies with it.
: 11 The Bride
The church is a people who are in love. If we are not in love.. then we are not being the church that we are meant to be.
F Ephesians 2:19-22
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… Eph 5:25-27
Are you in love with Jesus so much that you cannot help but love his bride, his church?
: 12 Church – ianity
Anything can become an idol. ..even the church
And we talk about CHURCHIANITY… being preoccupied with the CHURCH rather than with Jesus.
Now it is true that Christians can value the rituals and traditions of a denomination more that the words of Jesus. That’s wrong, that’s Churchianity. Sometimes people are concerned more with preserve a building as an historic monument than they are with learning to live as a faithful disciple of Jesus. That’s wrong, that’s churchiantiy. Sometimes people are quick to condemn others because they worship in a different way, kiss icons, or make the sign of a cross, light candles instead of singing new wine songs. If we judge and condemn other believers for those sort of reasons, then that’s wrong, that’s Chruchianity.
And the problem in evangelical/charismatic circles is that sometimes the word Churchiantiy is used unfairly and in a wrong way.
Imagine say, a church where John faithfully polishes the candlesticks every week, and loving cleans the communion cups and plates, and then puts them carefully back into the leatherette holders he made himself so that they don’t get scratched and gets them ready for the communion service the next day. Imagine a church where a different member of the week comes in to sweep the sanctuary area on a Saturday, and check that service sheets are ready, hymn books in place, bibles kept in good order – whatever. If John loves Jesus… that’s not Churchianity, that’s not being inward looking and church centred.. that is love. If it is people who love Jesus, who come into prepare for the times when the church meets together as the people of God.. that’s not churchianity… that is love.
I think there has been a tendency to decry acts of love and service for the church as if in some way ministry within the body of Christ, and ministry TO the body of Christ is not of real significance.
The Christian faith is about Jesus not about Church.
It sounds good… but it is not true. How can it be if Jesus loves his church so much that he gave himself up for her. My calling into relationship with Jesus involved me committing myself in service to and service with his church. For me the particular place Jesus has put me in is that of being an ordained minister… but for each one of us in the body, there is a place of service, service with the body and service TO the body.
John who polishes the communion plate is serving Jesus by serving his church, by lavishing love and attention on preparing for the times when his brothers and sisters come together for worship. It’s what families do. You wouldn’t think it was wrong of somebody to set the table for a child’s birthday party and make it look nice. What about preparing for a party here in church every week. Many churches have teams of volunteers who come on a Saturday to clean and prepare and sort out flowers and do a million and one other things. We don’t. I think maybe we should. Because we are missing something.
: 13 The Summary F (press 4 times)
How important is this congregation to Jesus do you think? And how important is it to you?
FYour family to belong to ,
a family to love, and be loved by.
F The body, where you have an essential God-given part to play…
the body that you are concerned to look after, a body that you are helping to build up and keep healthy.
F A Temple, the gathering where God’s Holy Spirit is experienced and seen to be active… you just love to be part of it.
F The Bride who Jesus gave his life for?
: 16 King Jesus
Jesus painted a picture of how one day people would stand before him and as the shepherd King he would begin the process of sorting out his flock… and he would look for evidence of his love at work in the lives of the people standing before him.
For some he had words of thanks and praise, for others he had words of judgement. And the amazing statement that Jesus makes is this…
“I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
To understand what Jesus meant think about the story of Saul for a moment. Saul had collaborated in the death of Stephen the first Christian martyr. He persecuted Christians, members of the family, the body, the temple, the bride of Christ...
: 17 light
and when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, and Paul fell to the ground blinded by the sight he heard Jesus ask the question…
F Saul, Saul.. why do you persecute ME.
He had been causing harm to church members… and Jesus asked him…
why do you persecute ME.
In fighting the church… he had been fighting against Jesus. The church, this church, matters to Jesus. He is the head of this body. And what we do or fail to do for one another, we do or fail to do for Jesus.
: 18 King Jesus
I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!
If you love and care for others…
Jesus says you are doing it to me!
If you criticise and gossip about each other, Jesus says you are doing it to me!
If you give to support the needs of the body, Jesus says you are doing it to me
If you deliberately ignore the needs of the body, and say that’s their problem not mine… well then Jesus says,
you are doing that to me!
Love for your Christian brothers and sisters is not an option.
Love is shown in how we spend our time. Love is shown in how we give our time in service to one another.
Love is shown in how we are prepared to sacrifice for one another.
Love is the command of Jesus.
F John 15:12
He said “I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you.
He was talking to us when he said that. He was talking to every church congregation.
How do you show your love for your brothers and sisters here at St. John’s Community Church ?