Theology- The Church - Living What We Believe
Hebrews 10:19-25
by Pastor Eldon Reich
Continuing in our series Living what we Believe
A Working Theology.
Today we look at the theology of the Church
This morning I would like to ask you a question?
Do you feel accepted and welcomed as a member of this church family?
Do you feel at home at First United Methodist Church?
Many of you would probably say no, and yet you come every Sunday.
And we are very grateful, yet you don’t feel connected.
Some of this is due to our culture of western society.
A young pastor surveyed his congregation one Sunday morning.
“Do you think there should be an evening Bible study?”
The response was overwhelming. 50 persons responded. “Yes.”
A day later an old pastor came by and said:
You asked the wrong question. You should have asked
“Are you willing to attend an evening Bible study?
A second questionnaire went out.
The result was only 12 person indicated that they would be willing to attend.
Western culture, has always prized individualism.
In America we want to be a part of something but from the outside.
Jesus didn’t need a family.
But he desired one and so he devised a plane to create us and bring us into the family.
It was a happy day for him when he gave us our new lives, through the truth of his Word, and we became, as it were, the first children in his new family. James 1:18 LB
The primal theme of the Bible shows us that God works
though a community of faith to bring about the divine purpose.
First, through Israel, and then through the church—
What is the church?
What is its purpose?
What is my responsibility to it?
I. WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
The Apostle creed says
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy *catholic church,
the communion of saints,
We are so into isolation and individualism?
That even the word catholic bothers us because we do not know or understand that catholic means –Universal
Not the Roman Catholic Church.
The Apostle Paul was awed by Gods eternal purpose for us.
“When I think of the wisdom and scope of his plan I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God---some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth.” Ephesians 3:14-15
Catholic--includes all believers past, present, and future.
Apostle Paul says: We are citizens of the household of God.
((( “fellow citizen with the saints and members of the household of God. Eph 2:19))
That early church was called the ecclesia—called out ones.
Both as ancient Israel and the church have been CALLED OUT.
Called out of
Called out of the desert to fertile ground,
Called out of slavery to freedom,
out of our sins to salvation ,
out of captivity to liberation.
God has called us out not just to believe, but, to belong to the body of Christ.
There are no solitary saints or spiritual hermits in the bible.
We are “Put together, joined
together, built together, members together, heirs together, fitted together,
and held together and will be caught up together.
I Corinthians 12:2, Ephesians
2:2`1,22, 3:6,
In my old Olivet church. We had a bell tower.
The rope to the bell hung down into the vestibule.
Oh what a temptation that was every Sunday to see that rope….
Hanging there waiting to be pulled.
The church was never locked at that time.
I have to admit that on a few Halloweens I lost the battle to temptation
It overcome me
I would ring that bell
And run like….. crazy.
You couldn’t see the bell but you knew it was there.
Every Sunday that bell would ring at
Germans, Swedish, Checz’s, the Norwegians, the English,
All to come to the same church. Because we only had one church in town.
As Henri Nouwen says:
There is a great wisdom hidden in the old bell tower
calling people with very different backgrounds
away from their homes to form one body in Jesus Christ.
John Wesley had an inclusive church
That went out to all the masses to witness to God’s love
That shined upon poor and rich, healthy and sick alike.
All people are welcomed, regardless of age, race, or denominations.
That why today in the United Methodist church
You do not have to be rebaptized to join our church
You do not have to be a member to take communion, to be married, or buried.
Membership calls you to a confession of faith.
And to the fellowship of believers the body of Christ.
READ THE APOSTLE CREED.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy *catholic church,
the communion of saints,
The communion of saints is the body of Christ living and alive right here.
When a new child visited our Sunday school, the teacher greeted him and asked how old he was. The little boy held up four fingers. " Oh, you're 4," said the teacher. " And when will you be 5?" The child stared at her and after a few seconds replied in disgust, " Well when I hold up the other finger."
It’s not really that difficult to figure out
When you join the catholic or universal church you are also
Called to join the body of Christ here on earth.
Rick Warren said: The real difference between being a church attender, and a church member-is commitment.
Attenders are spectators, consumers who want all the benefits of the church without
Sharing the responsibility. Want the freedom to back away.
They are like couple who want to live together without committing to a marriage.
Members are servants
Committed to a lifelong love for the brothers and sisters in the family of God.
Committed to loving real people, not ideal people.
Jesus said:
You must love the Lord you God with all your heart. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important. “Love your neighbor as yourself. Matt 22:37-40
What better place to learn how to do that than in a forgiving, caring, loving church?
II. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH
Acts
Richard Niebuhr said: The definition of the goal of the Church is the “increase among men of the love of God and neighbor”
The church exist for the edification of the believer,
For the salvation of the whole world.
Membership in it is not be taken lightly or casually ignored.
Jesus said: “I will build my
church and all the power of hell will not conquer it.” Matthew 16:18
The person who says I don’t need the church is either
Arrogant or ignorant.
Jesus loved the church and gave his life for it..
((((Christ loved the church and
gave his life for it.
Eph. 5:25))))
Look at the benefit when you join the local
You Membership:
1. Identifies you as a genuine believer
2. Moves you out of self centered isolation
3. Helps you develop spiritual muscle.
4. Keeps you from backsliding.
5. Joins you in missions to the whole world.
We need to celebrate that.
A tourist was
being guided thru one of the great Cathedrals of
The guide sniffed and replied " Sir, this is a Cathedral not a
Chapel."
The Pharisees had the
mistaken idea as well.
They had gotten
caught up in being religious and rules,
They forgot about
people.
Jesus said: Matthew
"
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees,
you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices— mint, dill and cumin. But you
have neglected the more important matters of the law— justice, mercy and
faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the
former.
Jesus gives us his reason for coming.
Luke 4: 18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
It is all about people.
Two people are knee-deep in the big muddy river….”
One says to the other: “You stay here and keep fishing folks out.:
I’ll return to help, but at least for the time being,
someone needs to go around the bend of the river
in order to see who is throwing folks into the river in the first place.
And stop them.”
III. WHAT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE CHURCH?
Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing but let us encourage one another---and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Our responsibility to the local church is to offer our encouragement and support
If your local church is doing ministry, acting in mission,
expanding to improve and grow in its future ministry
all in the name of the great commission.
Than we need to on board with the family of God.
The hand doesn’t separate itself from the other parts and say:
I don’t ‘want to participate.
I don’t want to do that or support that.
Stroke victims and Blood clot victims experience that .
When you become a part of the family of God,
You surrender individual rights for the body of Christ.
You are now members of the household of faith.
Saint Augustine said:
A separate kernel of wheat can’t do much,
but by crushing, and moistening the kernel with water (water of Baptism)
mixed together and brought through the fire(of the Holy Spirit)
it becomes one loaf.
That keeps us from an arrogance or pride that says
I am a grain of wheat unto myself.
I alone hear the voice of God for the church
This is what she needs
This is when she needs it.
I don’t intend to join the rest until its done my way.
Lets celebrate the church.
Rick Warren in the Purpose Driven Life said
Where else can you find all five of your deepest needs met at the same time?
1. Purpose to live for
2. People to live with
3. Principles to live by
4. A profession to live out
5. And a power to live on.
The visible church of Christ is a congregation
of faithful people who opened their spiritual lives
to God and one another in the community of faith.
Paul writes
I Corinthians 10:17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
It is God Call to get involved.
When an actor doesn't give his best to a part,
critics will often say he " phoned in" his performance.
Am I phoning in my prayers, my services, my time, my commitment?
Or am I approaching these things with passion and energy?
The most desired gift of love you can give your wife
is not diamonds, roses, or chocolate.
It is focused attention.
I value you enough to give you my most precious asset—my time.
What woman here would not respond to that?
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said:
EAT OUT—the wife you save may be your own!
Donna liked that,
Hey maybe I saw that on her car.
The essence of love is not what we think or do for others,
but how much we give of ourselves.
The hardest thing we can give up sometimes is our pride, our opinions, and attitudes.
Our commitment, our money.
Writer to Hebrews sums up our membership commitment.
1. To hold unswerving to the hope we profess,
2. To spur one another on in love and good deed
3. To encourage one another to meet together every week.
Anne Ortlund in her book “Up with Worship”
sums up the two kind of Christian in the church : a marble or a grape?
A marble is a single unite that don’t affect each other
except in collision where they chip, and scratch.
Marbles are self obsessed.
Nobody can touch them,
Nobody can do it like they can.
Marbles live in isolation.
They really doesn’t care if there are 192 or 201 marbles in a bag.
Cause all they really care about is the care of themselves.
But the grapes.
They live to cling, and sing, and merge together.
The juices began to mingle,
and there is no way to extricate ourselves if your tired.
Each is part of all.
Part of the fragrance, part of the taste, part of the new wine of the spirit.
Grapes interests are in others and the total outcome of the body of Christ.
They care about other children from other families
Seek to help in their edification.
They are not interested in making a name for themselves, publicity or gain
They come confessing their sin to one another
Praying for one anther and discovering that that are healed.
((((James 5:16 Confess our faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed.” )))))
Are you a grape or a marble
In this wonderful body of Christ?
Your choice can make the difference not only for your own family,
But for the future of First United Methodist church.
Oh I’m proud of this church that is alive today.
I glad that that the Spirit of God call us to sing and dance.
For the gates of hell cannot prevail against this church.
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