Christian Belief. Week 5: The Church

Transcription

1 Christian Belief Week 5: The Church When I was a kid I was taught this little ditty with the accompanying hand motions: Here is the church and here is the steeple. Open the doors, and there are the people. It s memorable and cute, but wrong. The more accurate way to put it is: Here s the church building, and here is the steeple. Open the doors, and there is the church. The church is not a building, but rather people, redeemed sinners saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. This evening we re going to examine five aspects of the Church: How the Church is One holy catholic and apostolic church; the Early Church as described in Acts 2:42-47; the Reformation definition of Church; New Testament Metaphors for the Church; and the One Another Aspects of the Church. How the Church is One holy catholic and apostolic church : Every week when we recite the Nicene Creed we assert our belief in one holy catholic and apostolic church (BCP 326 and 358). The Church, although made up of many different denominations, ethnic groups, worship/liturgical styles, etc. is ultimately one because it is the one Body of Christ under the one Head of the Church, Jesus Christ: 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. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Colossians 1:18 And he (Jesus Christ) is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. The oneness of the Church is also expressed in Paul s Letter to the Ephesians: 1

2 Ephesians 4:4-6-- There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to one hope when you were called one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. The Church is described as holy because it composed of people made righteous through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross and filled with the Holy Spirit: I Corinthians 6:11b But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Galatians 5:16-25 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. The Church is described as catholic because it is made up of people from all over the world and is called to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world: Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Ephesians 4:13 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to 2

3 prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. The Church is described as apostolic because it is based on the apostolic preaching and teaching of the Gospel: Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Ephesians 2:19-20 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. The description of the Church is in the Nicene Creed as one holy catholic and apostolic is therefore grounded in Scripture. Christ Church is part of God s one holy catholic and apostolic church, a vast Church that stretches back for centuries and stretches around the world. The Early Church as described in Acts 2:42-47: Following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which we examined last week, the Church was born. In the following verses from the Book of Acts we see a beautiful and powerful description of the Early Church: Acts 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he 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. Let s look at this passage a little more closely 3

4 1) The Early Church majored on the majors: They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. From the beginning the Church was characterized by apostolic teaching and preaching of the Gospel and Scripture, celebrating Holy Communion, and prayer. All of these vital aspects of the life of the Church occur at every Sunday service at Christ Church (and in many, many other congregations around the world). 2) The Early Church was marked by miraculously changed lives: Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. God was at work in the Early Church changing lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, the preaching of the Gospel and teaching of Scripture, and the love of Christians for one another. 3) The Early Church was marked by abundant generosity: All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. This is not ordinary human behavior, but it is ordinary Christian behavior in response to the abundant generosity God has given us in Jesus Christ. Video Clip In this scene from I Am Sam Sean Penn s character, a mentally challenged single father, is at a shoe store with some of his friends to buy new shoes for his little daughter, played by Dakota Fanning. He doesn t have enough money for the new shoes, but his friends all pitch in to help buy them. The cashier is moved and says to himself, There is a God. This is a beautiful image of what it looks like to love one another so that the world will know we are Christians. 4) The members of the Early Church enjoyed spending time together: They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. This included sharing meals together and enjoying the authentic joy ( glad and sincere hearts ) of people whose lives had been changed by the grace of God given through Jesus Christ. 5) The Lord grew the Early Church: And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. It is tempting for congregations to look to programs, advertizing, gimmicks, etc. to grow, and though well-intended, such things can become quite burdensome. Biblically, we see here that the Lord grows congregations, just as Jesus said would happen: I will build my church (Matthew 16:18). 4

5 The description of the Early Church in Acts 2:42-47 thus gives us a powerful picture of what the Church looks like. The Protestant Reformation Definition of Church: On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther ( ) nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the castle church at Wittenberg and began what we know as the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was not so much a simple breaking away from the Roman Catholic Church, but an attempt to return to being a true Church as described in Scripture and the Early Church Fathers. In fact, the writings of the key leaders of the Reformation, particularly Martin Luther and John Calvin ( ), were replete with references to Scripture and the writings of the Early Church Fathers. In his seminal work, Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin describes the classic Reformation view of the church: Wherever we see the word of God sincerely preached and heard, wherever we see the sacraments administered according to the institution of Christ, there we cannot have any doubt that the Church of God has some existence (IV.i.9). The most influential figure of the English Reformation was Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury ( ). In addition to writing and compiling the first two English prayer books of 1549 and 1552, Cranmer also helped develop what became known as the Thirty-Nine Articles, which describe the fundamentals of the doctrine of the Anglican Church and reflect the key aspects of the English Reformation. The Thirty-nine Articles can be found in The Book of Common Prayer ( ), and Article XIX, reflects the Protestant Reformation view of the Church: The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ s ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same (BCP 871). The two characteristics then of the Church according to the Protestant Reformation are the preaching of the pure Word of God and the administration of the sacraments. That s why the services of Holy Eucharist we celebrate at Christ 5

6 Church are divided into two principle sections: The Word of God and The Holy Communion (BCP 323ff and 355ff). Moreover, the Church is subservient to Scripture, not the other way around, as Article XX makes clear: The Church hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies, and authority in Controversies of Faith: and yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God s Word written, neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that it be repugnant to another (BCP 871). The Church then is not a building or an institution, but the gathered people of God in which the Word of God is preached and the sacraments are administered according to the standards of Scripture. In the Protestant Reformation tradition there are two sacraments administered: Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, because Scripture records that Jesus Christ himself instituted these two sacraments (see Matthew 28:18-20 for Holy Baptism and Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; and 1 Corinthians 11:23-34 for Holy Communion). We need both preaching and the sacraments. (I think this may be why people from non-liturgical church backgrounds where Holy Communion is never or rarely celebrated have often told me they felt like something was missing and eventually found a home in the Episcopal Church). New Testament Metaphors for the Church: Metaphors or word pictures can be also be very helpful in describing the Church, and the New Testament contains many such metaphors. These metaphors for the Church include the family or household of God (Matthew 12:49-50; Ephesians 3:14; and 1 John 3:14-18), the people of God (1 Peter 2:9-10), the Bride of Christ (II Corinthians 11:2 and Ephesians 5:32), a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5), a flock of sheep (John 10:14-16), the branches of a vine (John 15:5), a field of crops (I Corinthians 3:6-9), a harvest (Matthew 13:1-30 and John 4:35), a building (I Corinthians 3:9), the house of God (Hebrews 3:6), a living temple (I Peter 2:4-8), and a pillar of the truth (I Timothy 3:15). All of these metaphors demonstrate that 6

7 as part of the Church individual Christians are part of something much greater than themselves. The One Another Aspects of the Church: Although we live in a culture that places an exceptionally high value on individuality, we were not created to live isolated lives, because as God said in Genesis, It is not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). We saw in the description of the Early Church in Acts 2:42-47 that there was a high emphasis on community, or what we might call the one another aspects of the Church. In fact, the New Testament epistles contain many specifics about how members of the church are to act toward one another. These include being devoted to and honoring one another (Romans 12:10), loving one another (Romans 13:8; I Peter 1:22; I John 3:11, 23 and 4:7, 11), building up one another (Romans 14:19 and I Thessalonians 5:11), accepting one another (Romans 15:7), teaching one another (Romans 15:14), welcoming one another (Romans 16:16; I Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; and 1 Peter 5:14), waiting for one another (I Corinthians 11:33), sharing concern for one another (I Corinthians 12:25), serving one another (Galatians 5:13 and 1 Peter 4:10), bearing with one another (Ephesians 4:2 and Colossians 3:13), being kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32 and I Peter 3:8), forgiving one another (Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13), supporting one another (Ephesians 5:21 and I Peter 5:5), teaching and warning one another (Colossians 3:16), comforting one another (I Thessalonians 3:18), exhorting one another (Hebrews 3:13 and 10:25), confessing to and praying for one another (James 5:16), and demonstrating hospitality to one another (I Peter 4:9). In addition, Christians are to put the interests of others before their own (Philippians 2:4), rejoice and weep together (Romans 12:15), and carry one another s burdens (Galatians 6:2). That type of community where people express genuine love for one another can be very attractive. Moreover, for many people whose biological families are broken, they can experience the joy of being part of the Church family. Listen to how Jesus describes this: 7

8 Matthew 12:46-49 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you. He replied to him, Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Pointing to his disciples, he said, Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. Listen to how the Apostle Paul encouraged his protégé, Timothy, to treat other members of the Church: I Timothy 5:1-2 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. In short, the Church is a place where we can give and receive the love of God for one another in response to the love of God given us in Jesus Christ, who at the Last Supper exhorted his disciples: John 13:34-35 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." In summary So we see that the Church is one holy catholic and apostolic, that Acts 2:42-47 gives us a great description of the Early Church, that the Protestant Reformation definition of the visible Church includes the preaching of the Word of God and the administration of the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, that there are many helpful metaphors in the New Testament that show us what the Church is like, and that the Church is a place in which we can love and be loved in many practical ways. In the closing scene from It s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, who is in serious trouble because the building and loan company he runs misplaced $8,000 (which was found and not returned by Mr. Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore), returns home to find that people from all over Bedford Falls have pitched in money to rescue him, his family, and the building and loan company. Mr. Potter does not change; he does not return the money. It is a 8

9 powerful picture of how the love and community of the church is more than enough to compensate for the pain we experience in our broken world. It is a place where we can experience the love of God and love one another in response, a place where we too can sing, God and sinners reconciled. Recommended Reading: Outgrowing the Ingrown Church, by C. John Miller The Contemporary Christian, by John Stott 9