living church pt1

Essentials, God’s vision for his church
Three assumptions
- 1.Christian people, also church people- committed to both! Nothing worse (well might be) than an unchurched Christian. Church is at the very centre of eternal purpose of God.
- Church is God’s community, God’s purpose is not simply to save individuals and perpetuate loneliness, rather build his church, to call a people out of the world for his glory.
- We are to be committed to the Church because God is titus 2:14, to call people to himself, we can be dissatisfied, even disillusioned, but we are committed to Christ and the Church.
- 2. we are committed to the mission of the Church called out of the world, but also sent back into the world to witness and serve, because it is the mission of Christ “as the father sent me, so I send you”- the incarnation
- we then are to be Jesus to the world, to enter into people’s lives, to understand where they come from, to be like them, and yet not compromise what we believe, in whom we trust.
- 3. We are committed to the reform and renewal of the Church. In the world Church is growing, in the west we are stunted, stench of decay, we long to see the church being reformed and renewed by the word and the Spirit of God.
- What is God’s vision for his Church? What are the distinguishing marks of a living church?
- Early Church Acts 2 v 42-47- rose tinted specs, nevertheless radically stirred by the Holy Spirit. What was the evidence? 4 marks!
- A learning Church- we wouldn’t have picked it! The devoted themselves to the apostles teaching. Holy Spirit opened a school that day, being filled of the Spirit was not just a “mystical experience”, they did not neglect their intellect, they met constantly to hear the apostles teach! Spirit of truth, the truth matters. They still say the need to listen to human teachers, Jesus called the apostles to be the teachers of the church (shown by miracles)
- How then do we submit to the teaching authority of the apostles? No apostles in the church today, with the authority of John, Peter, Paul or James, if there were we would have to added to the New testament.
- Ignatius bishop of Syrian Antioch 110AD. Only a bishop not apostle, so if there are no apostles to submit to, how do we do it? Obvious we submit to their teaching found in the NT.
- A living church then is a learning church that submits to the teaching of the apostles, pastors must teach from scripture, expound it, explain it, and we must all soak ourselves in scripture, by reading and reflecting daily on the word
- The Spirit of God leads the people of God to honour the word of God, fidelity to the teaching of the apostles is the first mark of a living church.
- A caring church devoted to fellowship, Koinonia, what we share in together and out together, gave to any in need. V 44-45, essenes, Anabaptists, Hutterites, rich young ruler, voluntary for the church, v 46 they had homes, annais and Sapphira, greed not deceit. They had a choice as we do, we need to make a conscious decision before God what to do with our money and possessions.
- But before we breathe a sigh of relief…….. not called to poverty, but we can’t avoid the challenge of these verses, they loved one another, fruit of the spirit, they cared for the poor and so shared their goods with them. This principle of sharing is surely a permanent one, 1000 million $1 dollar a day, 24,000 die a day through hunger & related issues, how can we live with this? Many of the poor are our Christian brothers and sisters.
- We in the affluent west need to simplify, not simply to become part of the solution, but to stand with the poor.
- A living church is a caring church, generosity is always a characteristic of the people of God, Our God is such a generous God, his church must be too.
- A worshipping church devoted to breaking bread and prayers, balance! Worship formal and informal, temple and home, important lesson, many young people frustrated with institutional church, quite rightly sometimes, some church’s mantra, mission statement seems to be “as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen!
- But Holy Spirit’s way with the church seems to be more of patient reform than impatient rejection. To generalize, older likes structure, younger the more spontaneous, we all need to experience and accept one another’s preference, every church needs to follow the early church with house groups, every church needs to have the gathering of all God’s people together as well.
- Early church’s worship was reverent and joyful! V46 agalliasis, exuberant joy, and why not! A joy that perhaps we are not used to, some are like a funeral, some are like a circus, need reverence as well as joy, v 43 they were filled with awe! When God is in the midst, we like them bow with wonder and humility, this is worship
- Living church has worship that is formal and informal, joyful and reverent, we need to recover this biblical balance today
- An evangelizing Church so we have covered the things they devoted themselves to, this is the interior, not exterior, the compassionate outreach, v 42 needs v 47 committed to mission, the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved, this verse teaches 3 truths
- 1 the lord did it
- 2 two things together salvation and joining their number, salvation and membership of the church go together
- 3 The lord did it daily, not a big planned mission, but their witness was continuous and the Lord honoured it
- Need a return to the eager expectation that sinners are being saved into this church and we need more. But this means we have to witness daily and to be ready to receive them when they come in. we need to anticipate new believers and make provision for their nurture.
- Conclusion look at 4 marks, it all has to do with believer’s relationships, 1.related to the apostles, 2. They related to each other, 3. they related to God, 4. They related to the world outside, learning, fellowship, worship and evangelism, when Christians lose the Church, they lose all of this in their lives
- Don’t need to wait for the Holy Spirit to come, when he came on the day of Pentecost he never left the Church, Jesus was born once, died once, rose once, ascended once and sent the Spirit once, what we do need to do is humble ourselves before God, see the fullness, the direction and power of the Holy Spirit, if we do then our Church will be at least an approximate to the essentials of a living church in apostolic teaching, loving fellowship, joyful worship and out going, ongoing evangelism.