A while back I shared at a seminar how we welcome people to our Gatherings on a weekly basis in order to remind them that they ARE THE CHURCH...Here's what we generally say...
"Welcome to Soma's Gathering. We believe because of what Jesus has accomplished through his life, death and resurrection that we have become His Church saved BY His work FOR His work. We no longer GO to church because we ARE the church. In fact, we believe that We, the Church, go to the world as God's sent people to bring the good news of Jesus in word and deed so others might believe and become Jesus' Church.
If you don't yet believe in what Jesus has accomplished on your behalf to make you right with God, then you are GOING to church today. You're welcome to attend this gathering as one who is GOING to church as long as you need to...our hope is that you will one day come to believe and become part of Jesus' Church.
If you have already believe this Gospel of Jesus, then we're calling you to stop GOING to church and join us in being equipped and sent to Be the Church today."
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
How should we define the Church?
I was recently asked to clarify how I would define the church...
Many people define the Church primarily by what she does, not who she is. Unfortunately, this leads to an understanding of the Church that defines her not by God’s work, but by man’s work, leading to a view that man builds the Church instead of Jesus.
With this understanding, anybody who simply implements the forms or activities of “church” can call what they do the Church of Jesus Christ. This is “church” based upon works of man and not Church based upon the work of Jesus Christ. Jesus said he would build his Church, not us. This sometimes stems from a man-centered Gospel (It is my decision – my work – that saves me) OR can lead to a man-centered church (It is all about what we do that defines us, not what Jesus has done).
We must remember: We Are Who We Are Because of What Jesus Has Done and Is Doing…Our Being comes out of His Doing…and Our Doing Proceeds from Our Being in Christ
However, some people mainly define the Church by what God has done, not also who He saved her to be and what He saved her to do. In this case, the Church is a confessional people primarily, but not an obedient people who do what God commands and displays what God is like.
We need to define the Church in light of: 1) Who God Is and What God has done; 2) Who He has made the Church to Be; and 3) What He has saved and created her to do.
Think about it in Familial terms…Do we define a family based only upon what they do? “We are a family because we sleep in the same house, eat together, do dishes, share a budget, etc…” (Defined by activity). By who they are? “We are a family because we have the same parents, the same last name, belong to one another, etc…” (Defined by being). Or because of how we came into being? “We are a family because our parents gave birth to us or adopted us”(Defined by Origin).
A Healthy family would be defined in all three ways: 1) Our parents birthed us or adopted us – so we belong to them. 2) We are all related and share identity – so we belong to each other. And, 3) We do what families do together – life lived together defined by love.
The same is true of The Church: 1) We are the Church because the Father has made us His Children through the life and work of Jesus giving us new birth by His Spirit. 2) We have a new identity as Children of God. 3) We live out lives of love and good deeds because we are His Children who are deeply loved.
We aren’t defined by what we do. We are defined by what God has done in the person and work of Jesus Christ. What we do is based upon and motivated by what God has done and who God has made us to be. This is all the outworking of faith in God. We must distinguish between defining a Church based upon what God has done and Who We Are because of His work AND describing how a Healthy Church lives out God’s purposes showing herself to be God’s Chosen and Redeemed People.
The Church is God’s People (who we are) saved by God’s Power (what He has done and is doing) for God’s Purposes (the good works he created us in Jesus Christ to do)
I understand that there is much more detail I could then provide in each of the three areas...describing who we are more fully (Family of God, Missionaries, Servants, Disciples, etc...)...identifying what God has done in the person and work of Jesus to make us His Church (The Gospel power and work)...and articulating the key activities of the Church (Word, Sacraments, Worship, Commmunity, Evangelism, governed by biblically qualified elders, etc...), but for now I'll keep it simple.
Many people define the Church primarily by what she does, not who she is. Unfortunately, this leads to an understanding of the Church that defines her not by God’s work, but by man’s work, leading to a view that man builds the Church instead of Jesus.
With this understanding, anybody who simply implements the forms or activities of “church” can call what they do the Church of Jesus Christ. This is “church” based upon works of man and not Church based upon the work of Jesus Christ. Jesus said he would build his Church, not us. This sometimes stems from a man-centered Gospel (It is my decision – my work – that saves me) OR can lead to a man-centered church (It is all about what we do that defines us, not what Jesus has done).
We must remember: We Are Who We Are Because of What Jesus Has Done and Is Doing…Our Being comes out of His Doing…and Our Doing Proceeds from Our Being in Christ
However, some people mainly define the Church by what God has done, not also who He saved her to be and what He saved her to do. In this case, the Church is a confessional people primarily, but not an obedient people who do what God commands and displays what God is like.
We need to define the Church in light of: 1) Who God Is and What God has done; 2) Who He has made the Church to Be; and 3) What He has saved and created her to do.
Think about it in Familial terms…Do we define a family based only upon what they do? “We are a family because we sleep in the same house, eat together, do dishes, share a budget, etc…” (Defined by activity). By who they are? “We are a family because we have the same parents, the same last name, belong to one another, etc…” (Defined by being). Or because of how we came into being? “We are a family because our parents gave birth to us or adopted us”(Defined by Origin).
A Healthy family would be defined in all three ways: 1) Our parents birthed us or adopted us – so we belong to them. 2) We are all related and share identity – so we belong to each other. And, 3) We do what families do together – life lived together defined by love.
The same is true of The Church: 1) We are the Church because the Father has made us His Children through the life and work of Jesus giving us new birth by His Spirit. 2) We have a new identity as Children of God. 3) We live out lives of love and good deeds because we are His Children who are deeply loved.
We aren’t defined by what we do. We are defined by what God has done in the person and work of Jesus Christ. What we do is based upon and motivated by what God has done and who God has made us to be. This is all the outworking of faith in God. We must distinguish between defining a Church based upon what God has done and Who We Are because of His work AND describing how a Healthy Church lives out God’s purposes showing herself to be God’s Chosen and Redeemed People.
The Church is God’s People (who we are) saved by God’s Power (what He has done and is doing) for God’s Purposes (the good works he created us in Jesus Christ to do)
I understand that there is much more detail I could then provide in each of the three areas...describing who we are more fully (Family of God, Missionaries, Servants, Disciples, etc...)...identifying what God has done in the person and work of Jesus to make us His Church (The Gospel power and work)...and articulating the key activities of the Church (Word, Sacraments, Worship, Commmunity, Evangelism, governed by biblically qualified elders, etc...), but for now I'll keep it simple.
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