"I don't need organized religion." "I don't need the Church." "Christianity would be great if it wasn't for the Church." "I relate to God on my own terms." Awhile back I saw an ominous bumper sticker on the back of a rusted out pickup truck which said, "God, please save me from your followers."
Like you, I hear such expressions from someone just about every week. I last heard these quips from a young lady at a local store. Lara and I were buying some material for our flood-ravaged basement. As the gal processed our order, we talked. The moment she learned that we were Christians, she spit out this whole I-don't-need-church discourse. Her justification for avoiding church was extremely well rehearsed. She had put a lot of thought into it. She had spoken these very words several times before. It was obvious that she had been deeply hurt by the Church sometime in her past. When she finished speaking I asked her to tell me about her background. "What happened that you no longer see a need for the Church in your life?"
The church she attended as a child was anything but a community of grace. Her pastor, the eldership, and teachers taught God's laws with deep conviction. They regularly sifted the Old Testament and rather subjectively imposed dietary, tithing, worship, and sabbath regulations on the congregation. Whatever they deemed appropriate. This young lady grew up only knowing the condemnation of the law. The church she attended was well versed in legalism, guilt trips, shame, and the like.
She could always count on going to church to get beat up spiritually every single week. She never got built up. She never encountered the true gospel of Jesus Christ. She has never known God's grace and forgiveness. She has never known a life empowered by God's Holy Spirit and Christ's love. She has missed everything that matters, and short of a miracle, the new life she should have experienced in Christ years ago has been irreversibly snuffed out! Right now she is just strumming along in life, empty, unsettled, disconnected from the God of grace, blinded by legalism, and dead in her sin. She is lost for eternity.
No one needs judgment and death. No one needs condemnation and the yoke of the law. No one needs a bunch of stiffs who have never risen to new life in Christ. But everyone does need genuine Christian fellowship and authentic Christian community. I gave my business card to that young lady and said, "If you are ever feeling crazy, come to Lakeside. You are always welcome." She smiled and nodded. Hindsight is 20-20. I wish I would have said, "Come experience a genuine community of grace. Come experience genuine fellowship. Come experience a group of Christians that have been deeply touched by God's grace and have been freed from the curse of the law."
We started a new series last week called "Snapshots of a Healthy Church." Last week we began looking at Acts 2:42-47. The early Church showed deep devotion in four life-changing, life-enhancing areas. First, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, the word of God. Second, they devoted themselves to the fellowship, to one another. Third, they devoted themselves to the breaking of bread, worship. And finally, they devoted themselves to prayer.
From country club to Christian community.
Last week I showed how the early Church's deep devotion to God's word unlocked their spiritual potential. It awakened and harnessed all the good that was within them. It put them in sync with God's will. It fueled the Spirit's work in their lives. This week I want to talk about how their deep devotion to one another transformed them from an exclusive country club into a community of grace where God worked miracles and speechless wonders in their lives.
We all know that there are a lot of unhealthy churches around. We also know that there are a lot of unhealthy Christians. Sometimes it is us who are unhealthy. Sometimes we do not show proper justice as we represent the God of all grace. Sometimes we are guilty of behaving less like a Christian fellowship and more like a courtroom where guilt is assigned and judgment is administered. Sometimes we act more like prosecutors and parole agents accentuating people's failures, invoking their shame and guilt, and extricating them from fellowship. Sometimes we become more focused on the rituals that make us feel good and less concerned with building redemptive relationships with one another.
Sometimes we withdraw into little cliques or exclusive mini-communities and post "DO NOT ENTER" signs for all who may try to enter. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own little world, in our family matters, in our work, in our personal success, in our athleticism, in our hobbies, in our pursuits, in whatever concerns us, that we grow cold and turn an insensitive shoulder toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. Sometimes we get just plain lazy and we don't want to be inconvenienced by other's needs. We hide behind a veil of busyness so that we don't have to get our hands dirty and get involved in people's messy lives. Sometimes we substitute a handshake and superficial smile for genuine concern. Sometimes it is easier for us to greet than to serve or to nod and smile than to love.
What I have just described is the Church and Christians at their worst. What I've just described explains why so many people today say, "I don't need the Church. God, save me from your followers. Christianity would be great if is wasn't for the Church. "The Church should be people's primary reason for wanting a relationship with Jesus Christ, not their primary excuse for avoiding him!
It does no good these days to talk about unhealthy churches. We got that picture. But what about a snapshot of a healthy Church? What does that look like? In Acts 2:42 (NIV) we read the words, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."
I was at a Christian conference a few weeks ago and someone said, "Our churches need better fellowship time. Don't skimp on the coffee and doughnuts." Christian fellowship goes far beyond the coffee and doughnut times that many churches enjoy. Most of us need to be radically reoriented to the true essence of Christian fellowship. What is it? Why do we need it? How do we develop it? What difference does it make?
Fellowship is being the body of Christ.
The early Church lived by the conviction that they were the physical body of the spiritual Jesus Christ on earth. When Jesus Christ ascended physically and bodily into heaven, the Church literally became his body on earth. We became Jesus Christ's flesh and blood. We became his ambassadors. His hands. His feet. His mouth. His body. His life. Reconsider some well known passages of scripture from this perspective.
In Romans 12:5 (NIV) Paul says, "so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." In 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV) Paul says, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." In Colossians 1:17 (NIV) Paul says that Jesus Christ, "is the head of the body, the Church." In 1 Corinthians 2:16 (NIV) Paul says, "But we have the mind of Christ. And in Ephesians 1:22-23 (NIV) Paul says, "And God placed all things under his (Jesus Christ's) 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."
What incredible truth are all of these verses driving at? When Jesus Christ came to earth we are told in Colossians 1:19 (NIV) that, "God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Jesus Christ)." All that God is, was represented in the life of Jesus Christ. God's love, his power, forgiveness, truth, and grace, the full measure of God was in Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:3 (NIV) reiterates this truth. "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being."
Now that Jesus Christ has ascended bodily into heaven, where can people turn in order to experience the fullness of God? Ephesians 1:22-23 (NIV) says that now the Church is, "the fullness of him who fills everything in every way." Just as Jesus was the fullness of God on earth, so now the Church is the fullness of Jesus Christ on earth. We are his body, his people, his flesh and bones.
Jesus is not physically present on earth, but we are!
Who are we? What is the Church? We are the fullness of Jesus Christ on earth. Jesus is our head. He is our mind. He is our heart. We are members of his body. None of us are the fullness of Christ alone. But collectively as the Church, we are the fullness of Jesus Christ. He is our life. We are his physical body. Our old sin-focused life has died and is now hidden with God in Jesus Christ.
So what does all this mean? Does it actually change anything? I think it does! As the Church, we are to be the full measure of Jesus Christ. We are to be the radiance of his glory. We are to be the exact representation of Jesus. The world should expect to see in us everything that could be seen in the physical life of Jesus Christ, who lived but then died on the cross in order to reconcile us with God. The world should expect to see God's power at work within us, just as it was in the ministry of Jesus Christ. The world should expect to see God's power being channeled through our ministry as lives are changed and new life is given to those who are dead in sin.
The world should expect to see God's love in action in the Church as we embrace all people, including the poor, disenfranchised, weak, needy, handicapped, incarcerated, the immoral, the guilty, and even those condemned by society. The world should expect to see God's grace at work as we forgive and accept everyone, adopting them as flesh and blood, calling them brothers and sisters. The world should expect to hear God's truth, just as Jesus unapologetically spoke the truth in love, regardless of consequence, to everyone he encountered. The world should expect to experience godly character, authenticity, and integrity among us, as the holiness of Jesus Christ rubs off on us. After all, the Church is the fullness of Christ on earth! We are his body!
I wonder how many of us actually see ourselves as the body of Christ? Do we live as if Jesus is our life? Our head? Our mind? Our life? Have we truly died to our old pattern of life and yielded ourselves to Christ's authority? Do people see Christ in us? Do they get a taste for God's power, love, grace, truth and character by knowing us?
True Christian fellowship begins with the fundamental understanding that we, the Church, are the literal body of Christ. We are his presence on earth. Jesus Christ wants to live out his life through us. He wants to dwell within us through his Spirit. He wants to energize our obedience. He wants to work through his body, the Church, to accomplish glory for the Father just as he accomplished glory for the Father through the life he sacrificed on the cross for our sins.
When it comes to fellowship, you need to remember that you aren't a nobody. You are precious member of Christ's physical body on earth. You can become the reason people say, "I want Jesus Christ in my life. I want to know God. I need his grace. I want his people, the Church, in my life." Jesus Christ has chosen to live in us by his Holy Spirit as we yield to him.
There is a second element of genuine Christian fellowship.
Fellowship is serving the body of Christ.
There is a profound quotation of Jesus found in Matthew 25. Jesus is telling the parable of the sheep and the goats which talks about the final hour when Jesus returns to earth and judges all the nations. All the nations will be gathered before him and the sheep will be divided from the goats. The sheep will be put on his right and the goats on his left. The sheep are those who rolled up their sleeves and loved people.
To those on the right the following words were spoken in Matthew 25:34-36 (NIV). "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
In the parable the sheep who are the righteous ask in Matthew 25:37-39 (NIV), "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" And Jesus says in Matthew 25:40 (NIV), "I tell the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Jesus wants us to see ourselves as his physical body on earth. But he wants us to go still further. He wants us to see himself in the face of everyone we serve. We are to be the body of Christ, serving Jesus Christ. That worn out mother, that lonely divorcee, that depressed teenager, that stressed out student, that incarcerated prodigal son, that disabled veteran, that handicapped child, that beggar on the street with his hand out, that elderly lady who can't help herself, that stranger with his car broken down, and that terminal patient are all Jesus' brothers.
How many times have we turned Jesus Christ away in the face of the poor? How many times have we turned Jesus Christ away from our Christian fellowship? Are we truly a community of grace with the doors unlocked and wide open, or have we closed the doors and thrown out the key and hung a "Closed For Business" sign? One thing is for sure. We are the body of Christ and we must never turn away from serving Jesus Christ. This is the essence of true Christian fellowship. When the early Church devoted themselves to the fellowship, they were devoting themselves to being the body of Christ, serving the body of Christ.
Listen to Acts 2:42-47 (NIV) again. "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."
You ask, how could they have such deep devotion to one another? How could they spend so much time together and have everything in common without getting sick and tired of each other? What compelled them to make radical sacrifices? What compelled them to sell their possessions and goods and give sacrificially to each other? Where did all that glad and sincere heart stuff come from? Why did they have such fervent joy? Why was their culture favorably disposed toward them? Why did the Lord add to their number daily those who being saved? Why did God work such awe inspiring wonders and miracles and signs among them?
Well it really isn't all that complicated to figure out. Jesus made a radical sacrifice for us by dying on the cross for our sins. Shouldn't we also expect radical sacrifices out of his body, the Church? And why wouldn't the early Church make radical sacrifices for their savior? Of course they sold their possessions. Of course they gave to Jesus Christ in the face of the needy of among them. Of course they met together everyday. If you could meet face to face with Jesus everyday, wouldn't you too? They knew their identity as the body of Christ, and they served one another just as if it were Jesus Christ reaching out for help.
Last week I challenged this congregation with an exciting vision. Acts 2:42-47 isn't just a description of the first century Church. It describes the Church in every age. It describes the kind of commitments it takes to unleash the power of God's Holy Spirit in our lives and Church. Here is what I want to say. There isn't anything magical about being a Church or Christian that God blesses. God doesn't play hide and seek with us. He doesn't roll the dice and say, "Oh, I choose Lakeside, or Southside, or Westside, or no side. Sorry, good bye, too bad!"
Experiencing God Acts 2:42-47 style.
We experience God's blessing as a Church by devoting ourselves to the series of commitments that we began talking about last week. First, we must renew our devotion to feasting on God's word. Follow the example of the early Church. Every revival in history, without exception, has been triggered by a renewed passion for God's word. We've got to work God's word deep into the fabric of our lives. This weekly worship service is not enough nourishment for you. Bible school, small groups, and daily devotions are the activities that are going to make the difference in your life. Your life will not be transformed if you just coast through a worship service once a week without ever digging deeper into the word of God. But I will make you a guarantee. If you get involved in worship, if you get involved in Bible school, if you get involved in one of the small groups we will begin later this fall, I guarantee that you will flourish spiritually.
But secondly, all of us must devote ourselves to the fellowship. You are a member of the body of Christ. Opportunities to serve Jesus Christ abound everywhere around you, in face of the person sitting next to you this morning. Everywhere you look, there Christ will be. This fall we are going to rename our adult Bible school classes to Adult Bible fellowships. This is consistent with our desire to teach not for information (such as you would get in a college class) but to teach for transformation (such as you would see in a dynamic, Christ-inspired fellowship of believers). And of course the Bible will still be a central part of these gatherings.
The vision of this leadership is that the Adult Bible fellowships will be the place where genuine Christian community is practiced, along with our Life Groups. These fellowships are the place to get acquainted with people just like you, who have experienced something of what you are struggling with. These fellowships are the place to give and receive ministry, to be the body of Christ, and to serve Christ in the face of others. These fellowships are the place to move beyond superficial conversation and coffee and doughnut fellowship to become the fullness of the body of Christ.