THE CHURCH - GOD'S CALLED OUT ASSEMBLY
Readings: Matthew 16 v 13 - 19, Romans 10 v 12 - 13,
Ephesians 3 v 6
What is the true nature of the church as the Bible teaches
about it? As we pray without ceasing, there is need to understand the ministry
of the. church, the portrait and concept. Most Christians and non-Christians
have still a thought or concept of the "church" as a building or a
designated place of worship.
The church in fact is God's called-out assembly, composed of
God's people gathered for worship and work to fulfil and accomplish God's
purposes and MISSION. It is not the place where we meet for worship since we
can meet in a cathedral, synagogue, theatre, house, tent, under a tree or
anywhere else. Jesus says to Peter:
"You are the rock on which I will build my
church."
The most important and critical thing to keep in mind is
that the church is a spiritual organism and not an organization. Rick Warren,
in his book, A PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE once said,
"The church is a BODY, not a business, it is an
organism, not an organization,
it is a family, not an institution."
This simply means that in nature the church is equally a
spiritual organism, hence the ministry of the church is also primarily, a
spiritual ministry with a specific spiritual message that should be proclaimed
by spiritual people in order to accomplish spiritual purposes and this should
be done relying on spiritual power.
Let us not lose sight of the fact that the word
"CHURCH" refers basically to the universal church and the local
church. The universal church talks of every true Christian all over the world
and thus is referred to as "THE BODY OF CHRIST", while the local
church is the physical expression of the body of Christ in a particular place.
According to scripture, the church is seen with regard to its spiritual nature
as the body of Christ - Eph. 4 v12, the household of God - Eph. 2 v 19, a
spiritual building - the holy temple - Eph. 2 v 21 - 22.
With regard to spiritual structure, Christ is the head and
Chief corner-stone Eph. 1 v 22 - 23. Here, the believers are living stones
making up the church - 1 Peter 2 v 5, the spiritually gifted leaders and the
members in the church being saints and servants, core workers to accomplish the
MISSION of God's purpose. Yes the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe exists and
ministers in this spirit yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Prayerful thought: Oh dear Lord I now know that the church is a Body of Christ and that I belong to this body of Christ.
Day 2
THE CHURCH - NATURE AND FUNCTION 1
Readings: 2 Corinthians 6 v 16, Ephesians 2 v22, Hebrews 3 v
16, 1 Timothy 3 v 15, 1 Peter 5 v 2, Colossians 1 v 18
The Biblical picture of the church is that it is the body of
Christ - God given house, holy temple, the dwelling place of God, flock under
the shepherd and a body under the Head. We can only have a clear picture of the
Nature and Function of the church when we look into:
A) BIBLICAL PICTURES
B) BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
because the church was born without sacrifice, priesthood
and tabernacle as was the Mosaic Covenant.
The three central elements of sacrifice, priesthood and
tabernacle in the Mosaic Covenant became the basis for covenant relationship in
the Old Testament. But in the New Testament Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of
sacrifice, priesthood and tabernacle and therefore there is no need for:
i) earthly priests to forgive sins because Jesus is the High
priest - Heb. 4 v 14
ii) a sacrificial system as in the Mosaic law because it was
fulfilled completely in Christ's death – Heb. 7 v 27, 9 v 14 - 28
iii) earthly tabernacle because Jesus came in the flesh in
fulfilment of the tabernacle - He is EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US - 1 Peter 3 v 18
Indeed the Early Church was born without these three
elements but an outgoing church for a coming Christ - a missional church and
evangelising church.
So then what is the Church? The church is not:
a) a museum
b) a social club
c) for cultural identification
d) an institution
e) a theatre
f) a building because a focus on a building may be witness
to immobility, inflexibility and our pride.
The church is a holy spiritual and God directed that
transcends what the eye normally sees. The church is spoken of as the result of
and within the context of the plan of God for His whole creation - Ephesians 1
v 9 - 10.
The redemption of people is the CENTRE OF GOD'S plan, the
earthly agent of the cosmic reconciliation in GOD'S WILL.
The church has to be looked at from a charismatic
perspective also because it is the result of the GRACE - (CHARIS) of God. The
church has the exercise of spiritual gifts of grace - (CHARISMATA), the church
is edified - Romans 12 v 6 - 8, Ephesians 4 v 7- 16. The body of Christ exists
for the maturing and discipling of its members, and that the gifts deal
specifically with maturing. People are gifted by God and their giftedness can
be returned to Him by serving others. Giftedness is not something that bursts
into sudden flower with a single exhortation, but it flows from a series of
sermons or bursts into being after some training. The church must build a
ministering people and this growth process is tended by the Holy Spirit.
The community perspective is the other side we need to look
at. The church is a community of God's people who are:
a) A CHOSEN PEOPLE - as a result of God's sovereign grace -
2 Timothy 1 v 9
b) A COVENANT PEOPLE - a specific relationship based on
moral and ethical standards. Each Christian needs to be taught to live
responsive to his/her Lord, to listen for His voice and to follow obediently -
Hebrews 8 v 6.
c) A COMMUNICATING PEOPLE - witnesses to God's personal acts
through history. God brings into the church's political novelty the world's
community of those who suffer instead of inflicting suffering, whose fellowship
crosses social lines instead of reinforcing them. The new Christian community
is not only a vehicle of the GOSPEL or the fruit of the GOSPEL, but it is the
GOOD NEWS - Acts 2 v 32, 3 v 15, 4 v 33.
d) A CONSECRATED PEOPLE - a sharing divine nature living in
active tension with the world, but looking for a city. Leviticus 11 v 44 - 45,
19 v 2, 20 v 7, 1 Peter 1 v 15 - 16.
Prayerful thought: O Holy Spirit, please fall afresh on us so that I become a ministering person in the church.