Drew Boswell

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The Fundamentals of Our Faith; What We Believe Sermon Series “We Believe in the Church” Miscellaneous Verses

The Fundamentals of Our Faith;

What We Believe Sermon Series

“We Believe in the Church”

Miscellaneous Verses

 Introduction

 Reading of the 1972 church bulletin (see scanned copy) 20221019134353550

 Prayer

 What Is the Church?

The New Testament uses the Greek word ekklesia which translated means “an assembly or a group of called out ones who gather for a meeting.” Ekklesia is where we get our English word church. The church then are those whom God has called out, and are gathered together.

So, “according to the NT the church is primarily a body of people who profess and give evidence that they have been saved by God’s grace alone, for his glory alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.”[1] The church is not a building; the early church did not even have buildings until 300 years later. You don’t go to church, you are the church.

There are two ways of understanding the church – there is the universal church; that is everyone who is a Christian in the world. And then there is the local gatherings of Christians, or the local church.

A local church meets regularly. Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

The Church is Like a Building

Ephesians 2:19-22 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,4 but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

Paul gives us the image of each stone in a metaphorical building having a name on it. You are a stone, and I am a stone, and those that we lead to the Lord, are layered on top of us – each generation, layer upon layer building up the kingdom.

The Church is Like a Bride

The church is described as the bride of Christ. Ephesians 5:22-23 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.” This passage teaches that the sacrificial love of Jesus for his people is to be reflected in a husband’s love for his wife. The submission of the church to Jesus is to be reflected in a wife’s submission to her husband.

“Jesus identifies himself as the Bridegroom when he asked why his disciples don’t fast (Mark 2:19), and he tells parables about a wedding feast to describe his coming kingdom (Matt. 22:1-14; 25:1-13). Paul says that the mystery of marriage is about Christ and the church (Eph. 2:22-33).

Believers are depicted as pure virgins (Rev. 14:4), and when Jesus returns for his people, the multitude announces that the marriage of the Lamb has come and the bride has made herself ready (Rev. 19:7).”[2] Therefore, as the bride of Christ, the church should not commit adultery with the world, and would be faithful to Christ alone.

The Church is Like a Body

Paul talks about marriage and how it refers to Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32) immediately follows his quote of Genesis 2:24, declaring that man and woman become one flesh in marriage (Eph. 5:31). There is a special, unique bond, a relationship, between a husband and wife who are faithful to each other. This is the image Paul gives for the relationship between Christ and the church.

The apostle Paul’s favorite picture for the church was the body. It is the metaphor of the body that communicates unity of the church. Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” 1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” The emphasis of both of these passages is on the relationship the members of the body have with one another.

Paul emphasizes that the body of Christ must have unity. Paul uses the Lord’s Supper in 1 Cor. 10:16-17 as an example of the unity the church body has – It is an expression of the oneness. “There can be little doubt that Paul intends to emphasize the kind of bonding relationship of the worshippers with one another that the meal expresses.”[3] Baptism is also an expression of unity with a local body of believers as a picture of a person’s having already placed their faith in Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).

Within the Body of Christ there is also unity in diversity. Romans 12:4-5 and 1 Corinthians 12:14-20 are very similar messages: many members, but one body; diversity of gifts, but one body. In this passage, Paul also reminds the church that it is only a supernatural power common to life in Christ that allows them to overcome natural divisions they find themselves in (Greek, Jew, slave, free, male, female, etc.)

With regard to our essential beliefs – we have unity. Ephesians 4:4-16 “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (ex. Trinity)

In non-essential beliefs – we have liberty. Rom.14:1, 4, 12, 22 “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters … Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls… So then each of us will give an account of himself to God … So whatever you believe about things keep between yourself and God.” (ex. End Times timelines)

In all our beliefs – we show love. 1 Cor. 13:2 “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

What Does the Church Do?

In Acts 2 we see that “the Christians in the first century “continued . . . in fellowship”; they “were togther.” They took care of each other, whenever anyone had need. They continued “with one accord.” They [broke] bread from house to house.” They lived as part of each other’s lives.”[4]

The ministry of the church is a process of the building up of the body. Ephesians 4:12, 16 says that the church leadership’s job is to “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, . . . v. 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

The church makes disciples. We are all different in our gifting, calling, life experiences, and passions – but as we all grow in the Lord, together, as a unified body of Christ we build the kingdom of God. Our spiritual gifts were not given for us to use individually in separate efforts to make disciples, or for our own benefit.

The command given to us, to make disciples, is in the context of the church and together everyone working together, make disciples. We need each other the way the head needs the neck to support it.

Romans 12:4-5 “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Notice that we do not become the body of Christ when we decide to work together, we are the body of Christ whether we work together or not. Therefore, we can choose to be dysfunctional by working against each other, or we can be effective disciple makers by working together.[5]

If we go back to Acts 2:42-47, it gives us a snapshot of what the church should look like; what it should be doing “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

“These churches gather to act in a variety of ways. They gather to worship (Acts 13:2-3; 1 Cor. 14:23ff.), which seems to include prayer (Acts 12:5; 13:3; 14:23), reading of Scripture (Col. 4:16; 1 Tim. 4:13), teaching from the leaders (Acts 20:28-31; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 3:2), the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:18ff.). They enjoy fellowship within the local assembly and with other local churches (Rom. 16:16). The church serves widows and the needy (1 Tim. 5:16; 1 Cor. 16:1). Believers are involved in spreading the gospel, both personally (Acts 8:2-4) and through those sent by the church (Acts 13:2-3).”[6]

 Who Leads the Church?

The local church is to be led by qualified leaders, according to the Scriptures. The NT uses several terms that reference the leaders within a church. “Elder (presbyteros) is the term used most often (Acts 14:23; 15:2,22), but bishop or overseer (episkopos) is also found (Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1), along with deacon (1 Tim. 3:8). The most commonly used term among Baptists today, pastor, is used only once Eph. 4:11.”[7]

Jesus’ favorite description of the church was a flock of sheep (John 10:1-30, Matt.26:31, Matt. 25:33). Therefore, it is cared for and led by a shepherd. John 21:16-17 “He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

1 Pet. 5:1-2 has the three roles in one verse showing what a church leader does, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,” so does,

Acts 20:17-18, 28 “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, . . . Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”[8]

The word for elder is emphasizing the qualifications that church leadership is to have, pastor/teacher emphasizes their care for the flock, and the word for overseer refers to their having administrative oversight.

 In Acts 6 we see where deacons emerged as a leadership office in the church, “Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.” So, Deacons are to look after the physical needs of the congregation (Acts 6:1-16) qualifications for deacons is given in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Both of these leadership offices must meet the qualifications set down in Scripture.

 Why Join A Church?

The Bible is very clear that we are not to live out our Christian faith alone. Our walk with the Lord is not just isolated spiritual disciplines that we work on (prayer, Bible study, serving others, etc.)

Followers of Jesus are to be baptized, and regularly celebrate the Lord’s Supper – these are two examples of things we do as a group. Millard Erickson said, “Christianity is a corporate matter, and the Christian life can be fully realized only in relationship with others.”[9]

“Church membership is a crucial topic for understanding what Christ is calling us to as his disciples. Joining a church will not save us anymore than our good works, education, culture, friendships, financial contributions, or baptism will save us. Non-Christians should not seek to join a church, but to learn more about what it means to be a Christian.”[10]

“This is my church. It is composed of people just like me. It will be friendly if I am. It will do a great work if I work. It will make generous gifts to many causes if I am generous. It will bring others into its fellowship if I bring them. Its seats will be filled if I fill them. It will be a church of loyalty and love, of faith and service. If I who make it what it is, am filled with these, Therefore, with God’s help, I dedicate myself to the task of being all these things I want my church to be.”[11]

_____________________ 

[1] Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2021) 123.

[2] James M. Hamilton, What is Biblical Theology? A Guide to the Bible’s Story, Symbolism, and Patterns (Wheaton, Illinois, Crossway Publishing, 2014) 100.

[3] Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. F.F. Bruce (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 466 (from Hammett, 38).

[4] Max Anders, New Christian’s Handbook, Everything New Believers Need to Know (Nashville, Tennessee; Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1999) 150.

[5] Anders, 141.

[6] Hammett, 29.

[7] John S. Hammett, Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches, A Contemporary Ecclesiology (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kregel Publications, 2005) 28.

[8] See also Titus 1:5-7, 1 Tim. 5:17

[9] Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (2nd. Ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Publishing, 1998) 1058.

[10] Dever, 125.

[11] https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/this-is-my-church

Establishing Trust in the Local Church

trust

In ministry all you have is trust. There are no promises of wealth, power, or property. Most move away from home and place themselves at the complete mercy of the local church. The mortgage, the food you feed your children, braces, the car payment, etc, they have to trust the church to do what they said they would do regarding salary, benefits, etc. But the church also expects to be able to trust the staff person.

So, when it is all-said-and-done it all boils down to trust. If the church does not trust their pastor or the pastoral staff or they do not trust each other then growth, planning, stability, or even team cohesion is greatly limited or eroded.

There are ways that one gains trust (just do the opposite of these to break down trust):

A.  Consistently doing or exceeding their job expectations over a period of time.

Even little things like being prepared for meetings, being on time, doing what you say you will do.

B.  Maintaining one’s character and moral moorings over time.

This may include not being alone with someone of the opposite gender that is not in your family, telling the truth even when it makes you look bad, etc. Yes, you will sin, but there should a regular practice of praying, Bible study, repenting, and making things right with other people. No one expects you to be perfect (if they do then it is unreasonable) but you should be growing in your walk with the Lord like all other Christians.

C.  Being able to balance family, marriage, and ministry over time.

They may not like that you said “no” to something they asked you to do on your day off, but they will respect that you are guarding your family time. Again, you are not always going to get it right at home with the family – but there should be learning how to make it work. Your family is more important than your ministry. Please go back a reread that last sentence. Once you leave a church, in five years they won’t even remember your name, but your kids will remember you as dad forever. It’s up to you to determine if it is a good memory or a bad one.

D.  Communicating what you are doing to others; i.e. staff, boards, elders, deacons, parents, etc.

If you are not communicating in the gaps, then people will fill in the gaps with their own assumptions. And people naturally tend to be negative in their assumptions no matter how long or how faithful you have been.

Does the church, pastor, staff members, etc. know what is going on? What is the mechanism that you use to keep people informed and is it consistently updated (i.e. Facebook, e-mails, staff meetings, etc.)?

faithfulness + time = trust

Once you have an opportunity and privilege to minister to others, then do it to the best of your ability and continue to do so for a long time. This is a good way, if not the best way to gain trust. One should not expect trust to be there the moment you put your books on the shelves in your office. It will take time, especially if your predecessor was not trusted or had to leave for nefarious reasons.

When one takes a position where this may have happened then you should expect to inherit the distrust that is there for the man before you and to climb the mountain of trust to even be able to do your current position. I have several friends who are in this situation and are incredibly frustrated because of even after years of faithfully doing their job, the church still does not trust them.

Any staff position candidate could ask, “What actions have the church taken to intentionally deal with the broken trust that has taken place?” And “how will the church help the incoming pastor/staff to rebuild this broken trust?” If no action has taken place, or they don’t see it as their responsibility to help in this situation then the church does not understand how this will affect the incoming staff person.

_____________________________

Let’s be honest. Everyone in ministry makes mistakes and blunders. The only way to avoid this is to never do anything new, stay with what’s safe, take forever to make decisions, and not take any risks. But these actions (or lack of them) will eventually catch up with the leader in a negative way and they will be criticized anyway. Songs grow stale, programs loose enthusiasm, and people get bored. But let’s assume that you are an awesome leader and want to lead toward new horizons and reaching new people for the gospel. So what do you do if you have done all of these things (faithfulness + time = trust) consistently over a long period of time and you are still not trusted?

Why is it that I don’t feel that I am trusted?

  • Are you in a position to where you should be included in certain information loops, budget discussions, or whatever the topic may be? Figure out if what you are feeling is genuine or have you jumped to a false expectation? Sometimes our feelings can guide us to false expectations.
  • What actions have been taken to make you feel that you are not trusted or excluded? Can you give specific example? If so, write them down and begin to look for opportunity s to talk with the leadership about these instances.
  • One of the main keys to building trust is time on the field. Has a reasonable amount of time passed to where people should trust you? If you have only been there a few months then you should not expect to be trusted yet (but you should be taking advantage of the honey moon period: see below).

If you have been there more than two years and are still not trusted then there is a problem and you should spend some serious time trying to figure it out why. Knowing where that balance should be is a matter of prayer and calling to a specific place of ministry. If your predecessor was dismissed then expect that time period to be even longer.

“The Honeymoon period

Every person in a new ministry position has about one year that is commonly called the “honeymoon period.” You can forget people’s names, not know where something is stored, forget appointments, etc. and everything will be ok (within reason of course). But after this period your second year will be rough. Now people expect you to know everyone, everything, and to know “how things work here.” Take advantage of the honeymoon period. If you need more money for your budget, ask for it. If you need staff, ask for it. If you need equipment, ask for it. Strike while the iron is hot. You will not be in the honeymoon period for long.”

What blunders have you made and are these things big enough to push back the timetable of trust?

_______________________________

Tokens

Every new staff person is given a few tokens to spend (they are free during the honeymoon period) Every time they do something well they get more tokens. But to take action they have to spend tokens, and the bigger the action the more tokens it costs. So to take big actions they can cash in all their chips and if it works, then things are wonderful. But if it fails they are tokenless and have to save up (over time) more tokens. It may take a long time to rebuild the savings after a big blunder. Let me caution you against using phrases like, “The Lord has told me we should do this . . .” or “I’m the pastor, staff position, etc. and I say this is what we should do!” You have a direct link to the Lord through prayer but so does the rest of the congregation.

Why Is It Important to be a Member of a Local Church?

The Early Church 

In Acts 2:42 ff. immediately following the indwelling of the Holy Spirit upon all believers, the believers begin to meet (daily). Luke rarely mentions the Greek word εκκλησία (church) in the book of Luke, but mentions it over 24 times in Acts. So, the church came into existence after Pentecost.

While we don’t know exactly what membership in the apostolic church entailed, it was certainly for the purposes of edification, prayer, service, and, as can be seen particularly in Acts 5, discipline. Christianity is a corporate matter, and the Christian life can be fully realized only in relationship to others.[1]

The early church shows us that members invest their passions, service, resources, and relationships for the kingdom through the local church. They commit to a holy life characterized by integrity and confession of sin. The commitment to membership means active participation in ministry, in worship, in fellowship, and in service for the mission of the church, along with generous giving and evangelistic living.[2]

In the handling of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), as well as Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 5:1-5) and the Galatians (6:1) regarding the treatment of sinners, argues for a careful monitoring by the group of the spiritual condition and conduct of the members. While prefect purity of the membership is ideal which cannot be realized within this life (Matt. 13:24-30), open unbelief and sin are not tolerated.[3] Before we get too far into what the church should be doing, let’s look at what the church is not, and then give a clear definition.

Defining the word “Church”

What the church is not, as indicated by Mark Driscoll, “The church is not a holy building in which spiritual meetings take place. The church is not a Eucharistic society through which God dispenses grace by means of the sacraments and a duly authorized and empowered hierarchy of bishops and priests operating in unbroken succession from the apostles. The church is not the moral police force of a society seeking mere behavioral change through legislation. The church is not a weekly meeting where people gather to do spiritual things.”[4]

Driscoll goes on to give a definition of the church; “The local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism and Communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, and scatter to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as missionaries to the world for God’s glory and their joy.”[5]

The Bible speaks of church membership in relational terms – as members of one body and as members of the household of God – so that God’s people live as a gospel community and help one another grow in Christ and reach others for Christ.[6] There are no “Lone Ranger” Christians in the Bible, and there should be none today.

Why Join a Church? 

Why should I become a member of a local church? I’m already saved and a part of the body of Christ (universal) so does it even matter if I am a member of a local church? Well, it does matter because we do become a part of the family of God when we receive Christ, and the actual expression of that is found in the New Testament local church. There is not one Christian mentioned in the New Testament who was not connected to a local church.

Rick Warren has written, “Many Americans Christians are what I call “floating believers.” Anywhere else in the world, being a believer is synonymous with being connected to a local body of believers‑‑you rarely find a lone‑ranger Christian in other countries. Many American Christians, however, hop from one church to another without any identity, accountability, or commitment. This is a direct expression of America’s rampant individualism. They have not been taught that the Christian life involves more than just believing‑‑it also includes belonging. We grow in Christ by being in relationship to other Christians. Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.”

This same lack of commitment to any one church can be found in the youth of today as well. There is a phenomenon of youth jumping from one youth group to another in order to “get their needs met” or to the one that’s “cool” right this minute. They don’t tithe, serve, or have any formal ties to any one youth group. Without this commitment there is no accountability, few relationships where they serve and love one another, encourage each other toward holiness, or have a sense of responsibility toward the group. They have learned this from their parents who either model it for them, or enable them to express this behavior of selfishness.

C.S. Lewis once wrote an essay on church membership, reminding us that the word membership is of Christian origin, but it has been taken over by the world and emptied of all its original meaning. Today, most people associate the term membership with paying dues, meaningless rituals, silly rules and handshakes, and having your name on some dusty roll.

Paul, however had a very different image of membership. To the Apostle Paul, being a member of the church did not refer to some cold induction into an institution, but rather it meant becoming a vital organ of a living body (Rom. 12:4‑5; 1 Cor. 6:15; 1 Cor. 12:12‑27). Any organ that is detached from the body will not only miss what it was created to be, it will also shrivel and die quickly. The same is true for Christians that are uncommitted to any specific congregation.”

Nowhere in Scripture does it imply that salvation comes through membership in any church. Luke says of the early church, “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). When questioned about salvation, the apostle never suggested that it depends upon connection with a group of believers. When Peter and others were asked, “Brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37), the reply was, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (v. 38). Peter’s message was the same in Acts 3:12-26 and 4:7-12. Paul’s reply to the Philippian jailor’s question, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30) was straightforward: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (v. 31).[7]    So while there is no link between salvation and membership, there is a direct link between sanctification and membership in the local church.

Benefits of Membership  

It is important to realize that there are several benefits that can come to you through church membership. The benefits include:

1) It provides a spiritual family to support and encourage you in your walk with Christ (Gal. 6:1‑2; Heb. 10:24‑25).

2) It gives you a place to discover and use your gifts in ministry (I Cor. 12:4‑27).

3) It places you under the spiritual protection of godly leaders (Heb. 13:17; Acts 20:28‑29).

4) It gives you the accountability you need to grow (Eph. 5:21).

5) It gives you a place where there are people who will share the burdens of life through prayer, love, sharing, support, and encouragement (Gal. 6:2).[8]

As long as you are not committed to a local church body through membership, you are not able to live the Christian life God intends for you live. Even if you “attend” a church for a long time, it is the formal commitment on your part to the church and the church toward you, that creates a bond of accountability, encouragement, and ministry in Christ’s name. [9]

[1] Acts 20:28-31; Ephesians 4;11; 1 Timothy 3:2; 1 Corinthians 11:18 ff.; 1 Timothy 5:16; 1 Corinthians 16:1.

[2] Mark Driscoll. Doctrine (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway) 322.

[3] Millard Erickson. Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker) 1048.

[4] Driscoll, 307.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 2:18-19; 3:6; 4:25; 5:29-30.

[7] Erickson,1047.

[8] Rick Warren, 101 New Members Class Manual.

[9] Other suggested books to read on this topic that were not mentioned in the footnotes;

Bible Doctrine, Wayne Grudem (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan) 1999, and Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches, John S. Hammett (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kregel) 2005.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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