John
1:43
Because
there are a number of false churches in the world, many false teachers deceiving
the unsuspecting, and too many scandals related to modern Christianity people
are turned off by religion and church. Even in mainstream Christian denominations
people have a growing sense that church has no real contribution to make in
their lives. They have their education, careers, and families to worry about
and church does not help them much with either. Church is merely one more thing
to fit into already very busy lives.
But,
what if we entertained the idea of what Jesus deems relevant instead of what we
think is relevant. Perhaps we are thinking about relevance in terms far too
small…. In John 1:43, Jesus issues an invitation to “Follow me.” What does He
have in mind, and how does that relate to church involvement today?
What
must we understand about the invitation Jesus made to “Follow me” in John 1:43?
“Follow Me!” These are great words
because of the One who spoke them and great because of the privilege they
offered. The Savior is still issuing this simple, yet sublime, invitation to
all men everywhere.[1]
There are several valuable points relevant
to the invitation Jesus made to “Follow me.” He means the following:
- Followers keep company with Jesus
and one another.
- Followers live His way. It was a call to live life His way in relation to the Father and to others.
- Followers join Him in the redemptive initiatives of God. The call to discipleship essentially means a call to live His way and join Him in the redemptive enterprise.
Furthermore, it was customary for a disciple
to take the initiative and select the rabbi they would follow. Jesus
intentionally broke with this customary practice by choosing his own followers.
What
does the call to discipleship have to do with the relevance of the Church? What does discipleship involve?
The call to discipleship is the
nature of the church, when that call is lived out in its intended way. An individual disciple is one part of that
body, the church. Discipleship involves joining the company of others who are
also disciples and working together with Christ to bring persons to God. Yet
many reject church membership and regular attendance because they reject
organized religion…they prefer to pray and worship at home privately. They
believe that church is a human creation and subject to human manipulations
advanced under the administration of fallible human leaders.
While any and every church is not
worthy of attending or belonging to, there are some who still afford disciples
opportunities to fellowship with Christ, share life with fellow believers, participate
in Christian lifestyle, and cooperate in sharing the Gospel of Christ with the
world. Truly following Jesus Christ today is effectively executed through
serious involvement in a local Bible-believing church. That is a church that
understands its nature and mission from Christ’s perspective and not merely one
pandering to the culture’s demands, traditions, or expectations.
What
is the essential nature of the Church?
The Bible affords great insight
regarding the very nature of the Church. We see in
the New Testament several functions and responsibilities that are true of
specific local congregations, and these are portrayed in a positive light (Acts
2:40-47). The church in Jerusalem early
on was very pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ. Evangelizing, worshiping, fellowshipping,
training and teaching, and ministering were all major features of this
ministry. But, the point here is to define its essential nature.
A closer look at the word “church” should be
helpful. It is used 115 times in the KJV. In 114 of those passages the Greek
word translated “church” is ekklesia.
(In Ac. 19:37, the Greek word hierosulos, meaning “a robber of a sacred place,”
is translated also “church.”) Ekklesia means called out. Also philologically,
that is the way a word is used, not merely its root meaning, a church is an assembly. We need to be just as
concerned about how a word is used, not merely what its roots may be. The meaning of the word ‘ekklesia’ is defined
by its common usage in Biblical times. This being the case, the meaning of
‘ekklesia’ is “a called out assembly.”
Now, a local assembly operated through
democratic processes under the laws of the Empire. A Christian assembly function is the great
commission, Matt. 28:19-20, its government is democratic (Acts 1:15-26), and it
operates under the laws of King Jesus Christ.
A church is an assembly, city of believers, on earth within the Kingdom
of God. A church should be comprised of believers who have been baptized in
accordance with the Scriptures and voluntarily covenant together to fulfill the
Great Commission. This includes evangelizing the unsaved, baptizing the new
convert, training the saved to live and serve as Christ Jesus taught us. This
is to continue through starting new churches in new places the world around
until Jesus comes back for us.
The first mention of the word “church” in the N.
T. is Mt. 16:16-19. Consider some important lessons from this passage:
- The Church was started and built by Christ (“I will build”). This is one of His most important present occupations. This refutes the idea that the Holy Spirit started the church on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit came to Fill and Empower the Church not to start it! Jesus is the Originator and God’s great arm of creation– and He created the church.
- The Church was built upon Christ. The “Rock” upon which the church is built is Christ Himself--not Peter (compare 1 Co. 3:11; 10:4; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6).
- The church did not exist until Christ came. It is an entity distinct from Israel. There was no church in the O. T. times (1Cor. 10:32; Eph. 3:3-11).
So, a genuine Church is a called out
assembly of baptized believers following Jesus Christ, and associating with fellow
believers to live out the Gospel and share it with the world. Following Christ
requires involvement with one of His genuine churches. Forsaking churches
altogether is forsaking God’s plan for Christian fellowship, development,
ministry, and purpose. Yet, it is common to plead with believers to attend
church regularly and to involve themselves in the life of the ministry!
What
is the mission of the Church?
The mission of the Church is to make
known the manifold wisdom of God: the Gospel (Eph. 3:10). Christ gave his churches the responsibility of
unbinding the gospel, letting it loose in the earth. But with this responsibility comes also the
possibility that a church might not unbind the gospel and, by this very default,
will bind it. Not all children obey the
Father.
A church is a fellowship of
disciples making known to all the gospel of Jesus Christ. Its mission is not to
be a fellowship. That is its nature. It
is a fellowship. Its mission is to make
the gospel known. It is a fellowship on a
global mission.
A genuine church from Christ’s point of view affords
believers opportunities to follow Him corporately. Being a part of and engaging
a church in meaningful worship, ministry, and mission are practical ways of
following Jesus Christ today. The Lord Jesus did not start another entity to
support Christian living and missions, so it is safe to conclude He deems His
original plan as relevant still. To belong to a solid Bible-obeying church with
a heart to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and devoted to life
and ministry Jesus’s way is the plan of God for every believer without any
exceptions.
I know there are those who have had bad experiences
with rotten churches who feel they are the exception. Yes, you may feel
justified by walking away from that awful church, but Christ expects you to
follow Him still. That means finding a solid church who understands its nature
and mission from Christ’s perspective and joining it. Join it to live in right
and fuller fellowship with Christ Jesus. Join it to support and cultivate
biblical Christian thinking, values, living, and service. Join it to advance
the only hope God offers lost humanity of eternal value, the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. The invitation to follow Jesus Christ is the most valuable invite you
and I will every give consideration to. Accept it and follow Him with as little
interruption as possible until He returns for us in the Rapture.
[1]
MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible
Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1472).
Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
