GOD IS DOING A NEW THING: Whose church is it anyway? 5-28-23

GOD IS DOING A NEW THING: Whose church is it anyway? 5-28-23

 

INTRODUCTION

 

God is doing a new thing!

Do we have the faith to do the new thing?

Are we ready to try a new thing and possibly fail/succeed? 

 

Failure is inevitable.  In 2018, I had the greatest opportunity to share a message in chapel at my alma mater.  Right before I spoke the president of the college mentioned a story about me getting pulled over by cops on a school recruiting trip.  I had forgotten that, and I mentioned it at the beginning of my message and started losing my crowd because they did not understand what I was talking about.  Last week a strayed from my notes and mentioned an article about the Titanic.  It was not in my notes, and I tried to use it as an illustration without recalling the details well and got some of the details wrong.  I think I was only off by 1000 degrees.  Failure is inevitable.

 

Success and failure aren’t usually the issue for most of us though.   The real issue we face is whether we really want things to change.  Most of us like what we like, and that’s what we want.  We want change that gives us what we want, but we do not want change that takes away from what we like.

 

VIDEO - Why Church? (Sermon Central)

 

I.  WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

 

Years ago at Niagara Falls two men were in a boat and found themselves caught in the current. The men jumped from their boat and swam for the shore. At last minute ropes from the shore were thrown out to them. The one man grabbed the rope and was pulled to shore. The other man grabbed a rope, but at the same instant the rope came into his hand, a log floated by him. The thoughtless and confused man, instead of seizing the rope, laid hold on the log. It was a fatal mistake. They were both in imminent peril, but the one was drawn to shore because he had a connection to the land. The other, clinging to the log, was carried over the falls and was killed.

                              A sermon by Stephen Sheane, "What is the Church?"

 

           A.  Ekklesia 

                              1.  Called out ones

                              2.  The assembly

               B.  Old Testament

                              1.  65 times in the Greek Old Testament (The Septuagint)

                             2.  Meant “the assembly”

 

“The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly.”

                    Deuteronomy 9:10 NIV

 

“There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.”

                              Joshua 8:35 NIV

 

            C.  Political background

                       1.  Gathering of a city’s citizens

 

“The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.”

                              Acts 19:32 NIV

 

“If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly.”

                              Acts 19:39 NIV

 

“After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.”

                              Acts 19:41 NIV

               D.  New Testament

 

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

                              Acts 2:42-47 NIV

 

                              1.  The church was steadfast. (v. 42)

                              2.  The church supernatural. (v. 43)

                              3.  The church was sacrificial. (vv. 44-45)

                              4.  The church was simple. (v. 46)

                              5.  The church was esteemed. (v. 47)

                              6.  The church was salvific. (v. 47)

 

The church is not:

* An ark for the saving of a select few.

* A ferryboat to take effortless passengers to the shores of heaven.

* A life insurance company, with no obligation on policy holders except the payment of a small annual premium.

* A social set, welcoming certain people and excluding others from its fellowship.

* A Sunday pleasure club for the providing of pleasant occupation on the day of rest.

The church is:

* A lifeboat for the rescue of sin-wrecked and perishing souls.

* A family, in which love and service are expected from each member to each member.

* An organized community, with constant activities and continual growth and development.

* A company of believers who have found the one way of life and obey the one Lord of life.

* A union of those who love for the benefit of those who suffer.

* A center of social worship, in which the spiritual life of each is helped by the spiritual life of his fellow.

* The representative -- the "body" -- of Jesus Christ on the earth, reflecting his spirit and controlled by his will.

                              Charles Swindoll

 

II.  HOW DID THE CHURCH COME TO BE?

 

               A. The words of Jesus

 

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.””

                              Matthew 16:13-19 NIV

 

               B.  The day of Pentecost

 

                              1.  The 500

 

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”

                              1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NIV

 

                              2.  The 120 

 

“In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)”

                              Acts 1:15 NIV

 

                              3.  The 12

 

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

                              Acts 2:1-4 NIV

 

                              4.  The 3,000+

 

“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”

                              Acts 2:41 NIV

 

“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

                              Acts 2:47b NIV

 

Strong Small Churches - The bigger a church grows, the worse it becomes both in quality and in its capability to reach new people. This surprising finding comes out of a Germany -based Institute of Church Development study of churches worldwide. In churches with attendance of less than 100, 31% of the people practice their spiritual gifts to help their church grow vs. only 17% in those over 1,000. In all areas except one, the quality decreases with the size of the church. That area is more inspiring worship services. Smaller churches are stronger in each of the other 7 characteristics measured; empowering leadership, gift-oriented ministry, passionate spirituality, functional structures, holistic small groups, need-oriented evangelism, and loving relationships. More megachurches are needed because they have opportunities others don’t have, but even more strategic is celebrating and multiplying small churches. 

               BuildingChurchLeaders.com 6/8/06

 

We need big and small churches!

 

III.  WHOSE CHURCH IS IT ANYWAY?

 

There’s the story about a little boy in church with his mother. He was a good little boy, quiet and well behaved. He didn’t cause any problems. But every once in a while he would stand up in the chair, turn around, look at the people behind him and smile at them. His smile was infectious, and soon everybody behind him was starting to smile back at him, too. It was all going fine until the mother realized what the little boy was doing. When she did, she grabbed him by his ear and twisted it a bit, told him to sit down and remember that he was in church. Then he started sniffling & crying, and she turned to him and said, "That’s better." It’s sad, isn’t it, that many people have the impression that when we come to church that it is all gloom and doom, and that there is nothing here to really bring joy into our lives?

 

               A. The church is made up of believers in Christ Jesus.

 

“To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:”

                             1 Corinthians 1:2 NIV

 

A church that has passion is a church where "Discouraged folks cheer up, dishonest folks moral up, sour folks sweeten up, closed folk open up, gossipers shut up, conflicted folks make up, sleeping folks wake up, lukewarm folk, fire up, dry bones shake up, and pew potatoes stand up! But most of all, Christ the Savior of the entire world is lifted up."

                             Unknown

 

               B.  The church is the bride of Christ.

 

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

                            Ephesians 5:22-24 NIV

 

“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.”

                              2 Corinthians 11:2 NIV

 

“So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.”

                              Romans 7:4 NIV

 “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)”

                           Revelation 19:6-8 NIV

 

               C.  The church is the body of Christ.

 

“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

                             Ephesians 1:22-23 NIV

 

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”

                              1 Corinthians 12:12-14 NIV

 

The church is Jesus’.  It is His!

 

“More than half of the trouble that arises in church concerns rights, places, privileges and prestige. Someone has not been given his or her place, someone hasn’t been thanked, someone has been neglected, someone has been given a more prominent place on the platform than someone else and there’s trouble.”

                              K. William Barclay- Biblical commentator

 

CONCLUSION

 

For many of us, we want things to be the way they were.  We want to be 

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.