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The Church – The Temple

September 28th, 2008 Comments off



Ephesians 2:13-22 “13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

Introduction:

One of the temptations we often fall into in the Church is to think of the Church as a building. In the New Testament the Church is never a building. It is always a group of people gathered to worship God and to build each other up as the Body of Christ. Most of the churches of New Testament times met in houses or rented rooms, though some met outside. For several centuries the Church did not have legal status. Illegal organizations do not build buildings and put their names on those buildings. The New Testament uses a variety of images to describe the Church: the people of God, the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the believers, the saints, the elect, and the field of God to name a few. The New Testament also speaks of the Church as the Temple of God. It uses the metaphor of a building to describe the Church, but it is not the building as building that describes the Church. It is the purpose and function of that building—the Temple of God—that describes the purpose and function of the Church.

Temples were noteworthy for several reasons in the biblical world. They were thought to be the dwelling place of the deity. They were sacred spaces where sacrifices were offered and worship was given. Temples brought people together for a common cause greater than local or even national interests. Often temples were the largest and most beautiful buildings in the city. They were monuments to the great devotion given to the god worshipped there. These characteristics of ancient temples suggest reasons the apostle Paul described the Church as the Temple of God even though he knew very well that the Church was a people, not a building.

The Church is a dwelling place for God (verse 22)

Paul declares in Ephesians 2:22 that in Christ “you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” The root idea of the word “dwelling” is house or home. The Church is to be a place where God is at home. This implies several truths. First, if the Church is God’s home, then God must be present in the Church. This means that Church is not primarily a place to talk about God or to do things for God. Church is a place where we are with God. And since Church is not a building, it is a group of people among whom God is present. If we gather for Church but God is not present, the fundamental reality of the Church as Temple has not happened. In 1 Corinthians 14:25 Paul describes what should happen when an unbeliever or someone who does not understand meets with the Church. That person “will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’” When neither church members nor visitors recognize the presence of God, then Church as the Temple of God has not happened among us.

A second implication of God being at home in the Church is that God must be host rather than visitor. Because Church—the gathered people, not the building—is God’s home, He is in control of the activities and sets the agenda. One might think we are confused about whose home it is because we often treat God as the guest and act as if the Church belonged to us. If God is the homeowner, then His values will be those that are lived out in the Church. If God is the homeowner, the Church will become a reflection of His character and interests, not ours.

A third implication of God being at home in the Church is that the Church must be a place where God is comfortable. We do not have to prove ourselves at home. We are accepted for who we are. If God is at home in the Church, we will not ask Him to prove himself. We will accept Him for who the Scriptures reveal Him to be.

The Church Is Built With People (verse 20)

Ephesians 2:20 declares that the Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” The chief cornerstone was the first stone put in place in an ancient building. Its length and width edges had to be straight and perpendicular because the walls were laid out by sighting along the edge of the cornerstone. Its vertical edge had to be straight and perpendicular because the walls were aligned to that edge. If the cornerstone was not perfect, the walls of the building would not be straight and might collapse. Paul’s point is the Church always looks back to Jesus for our bearings. If we align ourselves with Him, the Church will be straight and will last. If we become out of alignment with Jesus, the Church will become misshapen and liable to collapse.

1 Peter 2:5 further describes the Church as built of “living stones.” This describes the individual believers that become part of the Church. This means the Church must be highly personal and relational. We exist as people in a relational structure, not as occupants of a building.

We are not free to determine the shape of the Church. Its dimensions and shape were laid out in alignment with Jesus by the apostles and prophets of the first Christian century. Each successive generation consists of more people placed as living stones in the building called the Church. Inanimate stones fit quietly beside each other in a physical building. Being living stones set together in the Church can be more challenging. Sometimes we are put in the wall beside other stones we would prefer not being with. It is not our task to change them or to seek another place on the wall. Our task is to align ourselves with Jesus and to live in grace and peace with the other stones seeking to be together the dwelling place that pleases God.

The Church is a holy temple (verse 21)

1 Corinthians 3:17 declares, “God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” It is hard to be clearer than this. The Church must be holy because it is the Temple of a holy God. A holy God cannot be at home in an unholy temple. A holy God who builds His Church with living stones demands that those stones be holy. Because the Church is God’s and not ours, the Church’s holiness must be God’s holiness.

As the Temple the Church is designed to display God to the world. A church that is not holy provides false advertising about God. We might despair of ever accurately portraying God to the world except for the fact that we have a living example of what such a life would look like. It would look like Christ. Thus the holiness required of the Church means submitting to the discipline of allowing the Spirit to form more and more Christ in us, Christ among us, and Christ through us. The ultimate purpose of the Church as God’s Temple is to bring glory to Him.

Take it home

Don’t hinder God’s presence, in your life or in this community. How do we hinder? Unconfessed sins, stubbornness/hardheartedness, grieving the Spirit.

Focus on relationships, both with God and people. How do we do this? Dialogue/communicate (prayer), Find a way to work together, Look for needs you can meet, Get out of your comfort zone.

Practice love, both to God and your neighbour. The great Commandment. How do we do this? Live out grace (includes initiative, forgiveness), Live in Hope

Categories: body of Christ, God's Presence, temple, the Church Tags:

The Church – The Body

September 21st, 2008 Comments off

1 Corinthians 12:12-26
“12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19 If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now there are many members, but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24 whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words. When 1 Corinthians was written, the analogy of society compared to the body was common. It was used to argue for the classes of society. It is easy to see how one could be labelled an armpit and so be relegated to rise no higher than what was deemed worthy of that position. In places around the world to day we can see societies with distinct classes and prejudices. Even in our enlightened and multicultural Canadian mosaic, people have biases and senses of place based on ethnic origins. Paul takes this analogy, this wall that so often divided, and used it to unite. The theme of our 100th denominational anniversary is “Out of many, one; out of one, many!” Let’s look at this analogy as found in 1 Corinthians 12.

Many Members (verses 14-17):
Diversity is not about comparison (15) –One of the biggest mistakes we make in life is to live by comparison. The phrase “keeping up with the Joneses” has been around for a long time. We tend to base our success or failure by comparing ourselves with someone else we have picked arbitrarily. How many times have you heard someone say, “It’s not fair!” or even said it yourself. What is fair? Is it fair that our neighbour or friend has a better job than us? Is it fair that we live in Canada and untold millions live in subsistence in Africa and Asia, or even in the downtown core of our cities? We like to focus on looking at the people around us or the ones on magazine covers? What we should be doing is looking to God. God made you unique. You have had stuff happen in life, good or bad, that makes you who you are today. The question is not whether it is fair where you are at; the question is what you are going to do with it. Many people rise up of their own will and volition and struggle and strive until they get to a better place. How much better would it be to understand God is doing something in and through you and to strive and struggle with His strength at your disposal? Maybe we need to understand it is not about getting more or being different or somehow more of something, but that it is about pursuing for the things God has called us for; to find His purpose for who we are. Don’t compare yourself with anyone but God, and then recognize His grace in your life.
Diversity is about finding your worth in something bigger than yourself (16) – Another big mistake in life is thinking that success in life is about us, about what we do, about where we go. We are the center of our existence. If that is how you approach life, understand you have a small, small grasp of the world around you. There are many things you can plug into that are good and great. Don’t under estimate the power of a small community of believers who are following God with all their heart, soul and mind. The church community is what Jesus established to accomplish His purposes after He left earth for heaven. He has something unique for you to do as part of this group. Maybe it is helping here on a Sunday. Maybe it is connected to a small group. Maybe it is about encourage a specific person or two in their ministry. Maybe it is to reach your neighbours with the support and prayers of this group. God is doing more than just trying to make you happy. He is using you to build His kingdom. What a privilege, considering he could use anybody or even an animal like Balaam’s donkey. He chooses you.
Diversity is necessary for greater function (17) – The best way to understand this is to think about a rope. A single strand is easy to break. 2 strands get a bit harder, and 3 are quite hard to break. This is because the sum of the group is exponentially greater than the sum of each individual part. We can do more together as a group than as individuals, and it is because we are all unique. The differences between us can cause us to fight and separate, or they can be used to work together. We need your differences. Out of Many…

One Body (verses 21-25):
Unity is about working together (21) – in order to accomplish something bigger than ourselves, we have to focus on what we are doing, our task. In order to read a book, we need our arms and hands and fingers to pick up and hold the book at the right distance from our eyes. Our back and frame has to support the body in order for this to happen. Our eyes have to focus, and using nerves and muscles the image goes to the brain where it is turned into thought and understood. There are some 212,000 people in this city to reach with the love of Jesus. I can’t do it alone. Our church cannot do it alone. We have to work together both in this body and in this community of churches to get the job done.
Unity is about encouragement (22-23) – Team is not about focus on self. Remember the Canadian who came in second in the triathlon at Beijing? Remember the Canadian who came last? The triathlon was a team event for these guys. The guy who came last had the job of keeping the first guy near the front for the first 2 legs of the event. He expended all his energy to take the brunt of the wind on the bike, and to encourage during the swim. When the running part was on, he was spent, but because of his encouragement and coming alongside, he allowed his compatriot to get a silver medal. Unity is about encouragement.
Unity is about others (24-25) – God made the body like this so that we all are working together. As we look out for others, others are looking out for us. We can all do great things knowing someone has our back, is watching out for us. If you are feeling out of the loop, it could be because you have opted out of the race early. You have opted out to pursue other things. It is never too late to join and get involved, and understand what fellowship is truly about.

Take it with you:
Know yourself – Not just your favourite colours or choice of music. What are your strengths? What buttons do you have that can get pushed? Knowing yourself is foundational to being part of the Body, of something bigger than yourself. Pat of this is to be honest with yourself. So, who are you?
Make the choice to include – Include others outside of your normal routine. Allow yourself to be included as well.
Seek the bigger picture—God’s perspective. Understand that there is more to this church thing than this building, than meeting every Sunday morning. God is moving in this province and this city. Do you want to be part of that? Find a way, your way, to tap in to the kingdom of God. It is a wonderful thing. That is the Body of Christ. “Out of many, one; out of one, many!”

Categories: body of Christ, diversity, the Church, unity Tags: