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Church...What was God thinking?
Ephesians 2:19-22
January 18th
My sister in-law, Susan, has one of those down home wits and just comes up with stuff that leaves you in stitches. I have a brother named Mike and his first wife died from surgical complications when she was in her early thirties, leaving Mike with two young children; Ryan and Jessica. Ryan was about eight and Jessica was probably four when Ann died. Not too long after Mike met Susan and re-married. His daughter, Jessica, was a spitfire and she wasn’t sure she was thrilled about having a new Mom. Back then there was a TV commercial that basically said, “If you’re being abused, call this number and we’ll rescue you.” Jessica didn’t like the way that her step Mom, Susan, was treating her one day so she told Susan, “If you keep treating me like that, I’m going to call that number.” And Susan quips back, “You call that number and by the time they get here, they’ll need to come.”
Mike and Susan had two other children; Haley and Dylan. Hayley is her own person. She’s full of juice. Every now and then, like all kids, she’d get under her mother’s skin, so one day Susan said to her, “Hayley, when God made you, He must have been thinking 'I haven't made anything REALLY weird since the platypus....I guess it's about time that I do!'”
Have you ever been downtown in some major city or in a city park or in an art gallery, and you’ll see some strange abstract piece of art and you’ll think “What in the world were they thinking?” Let me show you a few and you tell me what you think that they are?
#1 So what is it? a) Orange peels on a stick b) Fear c) Entanglement.
#2 So what is it? a) larva b) meltdown c) osmosis
#3 So what is it? a) Meet me in St. Louis b) I got rhythm 3) We’re off to see the wizard.
#4 So what is it? a) a sneeze b) a cough c) hiccups.
#5 So what is it? a) unboomed boomerangs b) Saturn’s rings on steroids c) Yabba, dabba doo. (Just one more….)
#6 So what is it? a) a big log b) Where can we waste lots of $? c) Joe Louis’ fist.
Each week over 110 million people go to church somewhere in America. That’s means that over one third of everyone who lives in America is in church this weekend. Let me put that into perspective for you. If you took all of the people who’ve ever gone to a basketball game, ever gone to a football game, ever gone to a baseball game, tennis match, or any public sporting event and you added them all up for just a single year, that still would not equal the number of people who go to church on a single weekend. More people will be in church this weekend than will go to all the sporting events combined in America in an entire year.
But many of those people have no idea WHY they attend church. Some go out of tradition. Others out of guilt or habit. So why did we all get out of bed this morning and come to church? Let me make a radical statement: Most Christians have inadequate or misguided views of the local church. And that’s not the world, that’s the home team…that’s us. We look at the Church and we ask, “What was God thinking?”
We are in the 2nd session in our new series, The Essential Church. This morning we want to seek to answer that question: Church…What was God thinking? Why did God even create the church? Why do so many Christians NOT get it? If you’re taking notes, let me suggest…1. Most Christians have a distorted view of the local church.
a) Most Christians in this culture think in terms of attending church, not being the church. For the typical Christian, church is a nice thing to attend on Sunday if you don’t have anything else to do and if you weren’t out too late on Saturday night. So you attend church much like you attend the theater. You hope that the program will be enjoyable and make you feel good. You greet a few of the other folk and then get home as quickly as you can, because you don’t want to miss the big game on TV. Yet you have absolutely no concept of being built together with other saints in the household of God, the temple where He dwells in human hearts.
George Gallup found that while a large percentage of the country attends church services, only 6 to 10 percent of all Americans are what he terms “highly spiritually committed.”
b) Most Christians in this culture choose their church as spiritual consumers. It’s like that peanut butter commercial, “Choosey Mothers, choose Jif!” Most Christians choose a church home for what’s in it for them, for what they can get out of it, but not in terms of being built up and ministering in the faith. They shop around for a church that best meets their heart felt needs, much like they decide whether to shop at Wal-Mart or Target. If they like the services offered and get a good feeling when they attend, they’ll give the church their business for a while. But, if they get bored or decide it’s not meeting their needs, they shop around for another one that suits them better. They don’t evaluate a church on the basis of whether it is Biblical, teaches sound doctrine or whether it has an emphasis on the Great Commission or other Biblical criteria. Rather, their evaluation is focused on whether or not the church meets their heart felt needs.
Chuck Colson told of some friends of his that had started attending a Unity church. Colson exclaimed, “What? You’re a Christian—and Unity is a cult.” “Really?” The man looked surprised. “Of course it is,” Colson explained. “They don’t believe in the Resurrection or even in one true God.” Then, the man’s wife spoke up. “Oh, but we love it there. We always come away from the service feeling much better.” Colson then makes this observation, “Feeling better? Is that what church is all about? For many people, unfortunately, the answer is a resounding Yes!”
c) Most Christians in this culture are happy “dating” the church but they don’t want to “marry” the church. Josh Harris, author of I Kissed Dating Good-bye, has written a powerful little book every Christian ought to read, Stop Dating the Church. He rightly diagnoses that most Christians are dating the church, but they aren’t married to it.
His profile of a “church-dater” is: First, he/she is me-centered. They go for what they can get. Second, they’re independent. They certainly don’t want to commit themselves or get too involved, especially with people. Often this is because the church-dater got burned in a previous church. Third, they tend to be critical of the church. This is where the consumer mindset kicks in. The church-dater is looking for the best product for the price. They tend to be fickle, always hunting for that better deal…that church that seems to have more going for it.
Let’s be honest. If you’ve been involved in a church for very long, you’ve probably been hurt or frustrated or disillusioned. I know I have. But I’d also venture to say that if you’ve been married for very long, you’ve also been hurt or frustrated or disillusioned. But I hope you’re still married! Commitment is what keeps you going in your marriage, to work at making it better. In the same way, we need to commit ourselves to the local church, determine to please the Lord and thus work at making it better. Let me encourage you to “marry” (and stay married to) the local church. After all, Jesus Christ loved the church as His bride and gave Himself for her. If I want to be like Christ, then I need to love the church and give myself for her, even if I get hurt or frustrated or disillusioned. Why?2. Every believer must commit himself/herself to the local church because it’s God’s Will. Turn to Ephesians 2:19-22 (p. 828). In essence Paul is saying that we must commit ourselves to the local church because it’s God’s kingdom, His household and His temple where He dwells. While Paul doesn’t use the word “church,” it’s obvious that this is what he is talking about. Chuck Colson writes, “Biblically the church is an organism not an organization; a movement, not a monument. It is not a part of the community; it is a whole new community. It is not an orderly gathering; it is a new order with new values, often in sharp conflict with the values of the surrounding society.” In these four verses Paul elevates our understanding of what the church is so that we’ll value it as God does. So what does Paul tell us?
a) Every believer must commit himself/herself to the local church because it’s God’s Kingdom. “Consequently” introduces the results of the preceding verses, that the Gentiles and Jews have been reconciled to one another and to God through the cross. “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people…”
Paul uses the analogy of the church as God’s nation or kingdom. From Abraham until the time of Christ, the Jews were God’s chosen nation. He revealed Himself to them in a way that He didn’t do with any other people on earth. He made exclusive covenants and promises with them. But now God has created a new man, the Church, made up of Jews and Gentiles. The Church is presently His kingdom people on this earth. The Gentiles are not second-class citizens in this new people of God, but rather, they are fellow-citizens with the saints (all of God’s holy ones). Paul also again reminds the Gentiles of what they once were: foreigners and aliens. He doesn’t want us to forget where we would be if God had not graciously brought us near to Himself.
These two words are nearly synonymous, though there’s a slight distinction. “Strangers” refers to a foreigner, while “aliens” refers to the foreigner who lives in the land as a resident alien. Both words convey exclusion. You’re an outsider. Even though you may be living in the country legally, you don’t possess the same rights as legal citizens. You’re treated differently. You don’t’ really belong. As Gentiles, that was our status before the cross.
But now, Paul says, “you are fellow citizens with the saints.” Your spiritual new birth in Christ has made you a natural citizen of His kingdom. You now live under His rule. You now have certain privileges and responsibilities as a member of this spiritual kingdom. You enjoy the benefits that He provides, such as protection from enemies. But you must obey His sovereign rule. If He calls you into battle, you must willingly go and fight. If He asks you to represent Him, you gladly do so. As a member of His heavenly kingdom of light, you’re distinct from those who are citizens of this earthly kingdom of darkness. The Sovereign of this heavenly kingdom demands your total allegiance.
Paul continues to emphasize that the Jews and the Gentiles, who were formerly alienated from one another, are now fellow citizens in Christ’s kingdom. This means that there are no racial or cultural distinctions among the people of God. We all have equal standing before God in Christ Jesus. Because the church is His kingdom, you must commit yourself to it.
1 Peter 2:9-10 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Then, Peter makes this application, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul” (v. 11). Because are citizens of God’s Kingdom, we are to live differently.
b) Every believer must commit himself/herself to the local church because it’s God’s Family. This is a further progression on the idea of being members of God’s kingdom or nation. To be a citizen of a kingdom is a great privilege, but it’s still rather impersonal and large-scale. While I happen to know our Congressman, Paul Ryan, personally, I don’t know any other of our national government leaders personally and they don’t know me. In fact, I’m a little offended. Somehow President Elect Obama neglected to send me my invitation to his inauguration. That’s because he doesn’t know that I even exist.
There are over 300 million citizens of our nation. So to be a member of a household is much more personal and intimate. Family members know one another pretty well. In Paul’s day, to be a member of a household meant refuge, protection, and identity.
God has created us for community, fashioned us for fellowship, and formed us for family, yet none of us can fulfill God’s purposes by ourselves. The Bible knows nothing of solitary saints or spiritual hermits isolated from other believers and deprived of fellowship. Henry Blackaby, in his book Experiencing God, tells us that one of the ways in which God reveals his will and purpose for our lives is through the church, or through other Christians. We need each other. We’re created for community.
So this sense of belonging is much stronger in a family than in a national sense. Recently, I read of a student who went to a university away from his hometown. In the evenings, he’d often take a walk. He was lonely because he was away from his family. He would sometimes look into the well-lit windows of homes that he’d walk by and see the families gathered around the dinner table. Occasionally, a family member would see him outside and get up, and close the curtain. He felt excluded from that household!
Paul writes though that though you were once excluded, now you are part of God’s household. You’re family. You’re included. When the family gets together, you want to be there, because it’s a great privilege to be a member of this family. When they talk about the things that matter most to the family, the things of God, you delight in the conversation. You want to hang out with the family when they get together just because you’re family. If the family of God gathers for worship, you’re there. If they gather for a meal, you join them. If they meet to talk about family matters, you’re there. You’re committed because you’re part of the family. Do you see the difference between attending church and being a member of God’s family?
So you must be committed to the church because it is God’s kingdom and His household, or family. But Paul takes us even higher…
c) Every believer must commit himself/herself to the local church because it’s God’s Temple. Paul uses a third analogy, a building. But he’s not talking about just any building; he’s talking about the Temple, where God manifests His presence in a special way. While God is omnipresent, there’s a special sense in which He dwells in His holy Temple. The Jews experienced this as the Shekinah, the brilliant manifestation of the glory of God. But now, Paul says, that the church is this Temple.
Keep in mind that Paul is talking about the church as people, not as a literal building. During the Old Testament era the Temple was a sacred building. It may have been appropriate then for some old saint to tell the children, “Behave yourself! Don’t you know that this is God’s house?” But for New Testament believers, there is no such thing as a sacred building. God’s temple now consists of His people…you and me. The New Testament sometimes refers to individual believers as God’s temple, where His Holy Spirit dwells (1 Cor. 6:19).But here Paul is referring to the saints corporately in a given locale. The people of God who gather in that locale are together the Temple where God is worshiped and where He dwells.
Paul goes on to unpack for us the foundation, the formation, and the function of this new Temple of God.
* The foundation: God founded the church on New Testament truth, with Jesus Christ central to everything (2:20). The church is built “on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone.” Paul means that the foundation consists of the apostles and prophets, with Christ being the cornerstone. Apostles refers to the Twelve and Paul, along with James and, perhaps, Barnabas. They’d seen the risen Christ and He commissioned them with special authority to found the Church. Prophets refers to New Testament prophets in the early church. Before the completion of the New Testament, the prophets received direct revelation from God to build up and encourage the church. Paul’s point is that the Church was founded on the truth that God gave us in the New Testament, the testimony about Jesus Christ.
This means that there’s one crucial criterion for you to consider before you commit to a particular local church: Does it emphasize the preaching of God’s Word as His absolute truth? If the church leaders dodge certain doctrines in the Bible because they’re not popular, or they compromise key doctrines for the sake of “unity” with other churches that do not hold to these truths, you shouldn’t commit yourself to that church (2 Tim. 4:1-5).
Not only is the church founded on New Testament truth, but also, that truth necessarily puts Jesus Christ in the center of everything. He’s the cornerstone. Some argue that this refers to the capstone that finished off a building. But the context clearly shows that Paul is talking about the foundation stone that was first laid at the corner. It had to be positioned perfectly, because all of the lines of the building came off that corner stone. Psalm 118:22 predicted of Jesus, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.” This means that the Temple is built out and up from the revelation given in Christ, with the apostles and prophets elaborating and explaining the mystery, which had been made known to them by the Holy Spirit. All of it’s built on Christ, supported by Christ, and the lie or shape of the continuing building is determined by Christ, the cornerstone. Thus, any church that diminishes the person or work of Jesus Christ is not a true church. Any church that undermines the inspiration and authority of the Bible must be rejected. Such churches are buildings without a solid foundation.
* The formation: God is fitting and growing the members of the church together into a holy temple in the Lord, vs. 21. “In Him” refers to Jesus Christ. Everything depends on being in union with Him. “In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.” Paul mixes up his metaphors here, in that he first refers to the church as stones in the temple, which were carefully fit together. But since “dead stones” is an inadequate picture, he shifts to a living analogy, stating that they are growing into a holy temple. Like Peter, Paul views the church as living stones, an intriguing oxymoron!
During the construction of Solomon’s Temple, the stones were quarried and shaped away from the construction site, and then brought to the site and fitted carefully together (1 Kings 6:7). It’s a picture of the Lord fitting us together with one another, so that each stone contributes a vital part to the entire wall. Individual stones are not of much value apart from the whole, but when they are fit together, the entire structure becomes a beautiful, functional place where God is worshiped. The implication is that it is only in close relationships with one another that God uses us for His purpose and glory. To do that, He often has to chip off our rough edges, which is a painful process! Did you know that it’s often through relational conflicts in the church that we learn where we need to grow and change? Most of us grow best through a little heat and friction, and the same is true in the local church. If we submit to the process, the end result is worth it!
* The function: God is building the church together to be His own dwelling place in the Spirit, vs. 22. “And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.” What an amazing truth! God is building us together into His dwelling place in the Spirit! In the Old Testament, the temple was the special place where God met with His people and revealed Himself. But now, not in a physical building, but in the very hearts of His people gathered in one locale, knit together in love, God dwells.
As stated explicitly in verse 21 and implicitly in verse 22, the church as God’s dwelling place must be holy. Temple refers to the inner sanctuary, the most holy place. God does not dwell where sin is tolerated or excused away. How much of your behavior would you change if you sensed that you were gathering each week in a place where God in all of His holiness dwells? If you had an awareness of God’s presence in your life personally, would you live differently?
In one of his books, Watchman Nee, says that if you have a small amount of change in your pocket, you can walk along rather carefree. But if you have a large amount of money in your pocket, you’ll walk more carefully, guarding the treasure. When we truly really realize that both individually and corporately, the living God dwells in our midst, we will be careful to walk in holiness. This also means that when we gather as the church, we should come to meet with God. We want to sense His presence in our midst. As Moses prayed in Exod. 33:15, if the Lord’s presence does not go with us, we don’t want to go at all! Can I just encourage you then to pray and prepare your heart each week before you gather with the rest of the saints in this church. Just pray something simple like this, “Lord, I want to meet with You! I want You to show your glory in Your temple! I want You to show Your glory in our church!”Conclusion: The local church is God’s plan. He knew exactly what He was doing. But what does being committed to God’s plan, what does being committed to a local church look like? Josh Harris describes it in seven ways. We only have time to hit the highlights:
You join. You officially join the church so that the pastor and others there know that you’re part of the team. Here at Grace, this means going through the New Member Class, filling out an application, and being interviewed by the Leadership Team to share how you came to Christ. Joining expresses your commitment to be here and serve together.
You make the local church a priority. Each of us builds our lives around our priorities, so that other things take a back seat. Harris advises you to think carefully before you move for a better job or go away to college, if it means leaving a solid church to do it. You may or may not find such a church in the new location.
You make the church leaders’ job a joy. Harris quotes Hebrews 13:17, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” He advises you to embrace, obey, and love God’s Word. Also, pray for your Pastor, church staff and Deacons and refuse to engage in gossip or slander against them. I like that advice!
You find ways to serve. Harris says, “Serving is the fastest way to feel a sense of ownership in your church. It’s also the best way to build relationships.” Don’t wait to be asked to serve. Look for ways to serve.
You give. Harris writes, “Because the local church is where you are nourished spiritually, it should be the first place you invest financially.”
You connect with people. Being married is a relationship. Being committed to the local church means getting to know some of the members on a level that you cannot do just in passing on Sunday mornings.
You share your passion. When you’re in love with God’s church, you can’t keep it to yourself. You want others to experience the same joy. Harris cites John Stott, “If the church is central to God’s purpose as seen in both history and the gospel, it must surely also be central to our lives. How can we take lightly what God takes so seriously? How dare we push to the circumference what God has placed at the center?”
When you see that the church is God’s kingdom, His household, and His temple where He dwells, it should motivate you to fall in love and be committed. It’s kind of like getting married. Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. So should you!