Sharing Material Items

(David Castillo - FreeDigitalPhots.net)

Another key element of the Church is the call to hold all material items very loosely.  Paul told the church at Philippi that he had learned to have much or to have nothing, that his material status had no impact on the way he saw himself in Christ (Philippians 4:10-13).  And if we look in Acts 2 and Acts 4, we see a radical generosity with the material items that the early Church had.  Acts 2 tells us that they had everything in common.  One commentator shares that he thinks this is less about one place where everyone kept his or her 'stuff', but more so that when a need came up, it wasn't question as to if it was going to be met.  The goods, though perhaps kept in one individual's home, were always available for the greater good.

Acts 4 tells us that no one claimed that anything was his own and then soon after states, "And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them."  Later in the New Testament, Paul says to the church at Corinth the he desires there to be equality among the believers in material items.

And so from these passages and others we can fairly conclude that part of the call of the Church is to be generous and to be very free and giving with our material items and wealth.

- tC

One of the cores to the Church being the Church

Overall, this is a challenging video to watch, but if you'll start at 36:16 and watch for a bit, you'll see that at the core, Christian churches should be defined by love, and in particular, loving one another.  Think about Paul telling the church in Galatia (chapter 5) that the only thing that matters in the end is faith expressing itself in love.  Think about Peter in 1 Peter 4 saying, "Above all, love one another, for love covers a multitude of sins."

So here's where we can start to critique, but we also have to self-examine.  When I gather with other Christians, is my goal to love on people?  Is my goal to encourage, to exhort, to love other followers of Christ, because when I do, and when we do - that is the Church being the Church. 

For other consideration, read that familiar passage in 1 Corinthians 13  and insert "the church" instead of the word "love" ('The church is patient, the church is kind...'). 

That's one core of the Church being the Church.

- tC

God's purpose for the Church

 (Renjith Krishnan - FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Ephesians 3:10-11

So if the church is not the building but instead is the people of God, what is God's purpose in the church?  Ephesians 3 (above) tells us His purpose.  God has chosen the church to be the means to communicate to the world the grand mystery and story of Jesus Christ.  Paul tells us that in ages past the profound truth of Christ was a mystery, unknown to many who desired to know, but now - in the time of Paul and up through now (2011) - God shows the world the glory and goodness and love of Christ...in the church.  What a blessing and honor that God has placed upon us. 

Now, pause and think about what the church is often allowed to become - a place where, once (maybe twice) a week we gather to sing some songs and learn some of the Bible.  No, according to Paul's letter to the Ephesians, the church was not created to just learn and exist in a holy huddle, but instead to declare the glory of God.  Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14 that when the people of God proclaim the truth of God, the non-believer is likely to say, "God is really among you!" 

CONCLUSION 1 - One of the purposes of the church is to declare the wisdom of God in the mystery of Christ.

The Church Building

(Salvatore Vuono - FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

If you've been in Christian circles for any amount of time, you've probably heard people talk about "going to church."  What they mean by that is usually that they are going to the building where Christians from a local community gather for worship services, teaching, serving others, and the like.  Now if you were to be like me (a stickler for language) you might say something like, "Well, the building isn't the church - the church, according to God's Word, is the people, the Body of Christ."  Quickly the response would likely come, "Oh but you know what I mean when I say 'church'."

I'm always thinking about our Christian-ese, the language Christian people often use.  I shared the other night that while the term 'lord' is biblical, it's not a word we use often these days unless it is followed by '...of the Rings'.  So when we throw around words like 'church' and then assume we know what we mean, I feel the need to stop us and say, "But do we?  Do we really KNOW what the 'church' is?"  Because here's the deal - we often don't know what the church is.  We don't know what the purpose of the church is, we don't know what the church should be doing or not doing, and and we often don't know where to look.  Too often I think we take our cues from the culture at large instead of from the Word of God. 

Let me give you a few examples. 
What is the place where the pastor stands to give the sermon?  Most would call it 'the stage'.  But a stage is a place where, most often, people go to perform.  But preaching God's Word is not a performance - it is a privilege and a sacred duty.  Thus, people used to call it 'the platform', a place from which we proclaim truth. 

What do you call it when we sing songs about and to God on Sundays?  Worship.  Wrong.  According to Romans 12, all of life given to God is worship - singing is just one of many forms of worshiping God. 

If you think I am over-stating my case, just consider this question: what is the purpose of the church according to God's Word?  In future posts I will be looking at what the church is and what it should look like.  I hope you will join me in this journey as we examine the Bible for God's insights into the church in it's truest form. 

- tC