Is Church
Relevant?
John 1:35-51
(Jn. 1:43)
Theme: The invitation to follow Jesus Christ is the most valuable request you and I will ever get.
Relevance: Humbly accept Christ’s request and follow Him in church-based ministry all your life with as few interruptions as possible!
Introduction:
Because there are several 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 with either. Church is perceived as 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. Maybe we should open our minds and expand our horizons to perceive a worldwide impact that still matters in 1,000 years! Perhaps we are thinking about relevance in terms far too small…too limited…too selfish. 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?
Message:
What must we understand about the invitation Jesus made to “Follow me” in John 1:43?
“Follow Me!” These are tremendous words because of the One who said them and the privileges they afforded. Jesus offered a closer relationship with himself as the friend, guide, mentor, coach, and model of real righteousness. 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.” Accordingly, He
means:
1)
Followers keep company with the Lord
Jesus and one another as believers.
2)
Followers live according to His ways—living
by faith. This is a call to do life in relation to the Father, to Christ, to
the Holy Spirit, to His church, and to others.
3) Followers join Him in the redemptive initiatives of God. The call to discipleship essentially means joining and partnering with Him in the worldwide redemptive enterprise—timeless ministry that brings others into correct relationships with God.
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. In essence, Jesus selected you as His disciple (Jn. 15:16; Eph. 1:4; 2Thess. 2:13; Rom. 8:29-30; Acts 9:15).
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 very nature of a church, when that responsibility is lived out as God intended. An individual disciple is one part of that body, that church assembly. Discipleship involves joining the company of others who are also disciples and working together with Christ through church ministry to bring lost persons to God. Jesus addresses churches repeatedly regarding discipleship responsibilities (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:2; Phil. 1:1; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; Rev. 1:1&4) throughout the body of the NT as a standard with many other addresses to Christ’s church servants and all believers in general. The entire world evangelism apparatus focused on church disciples reaching the untold and unsaved masses (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Acts 20:18-28).
Yet many reject church membership and regular attendance because they reject organized religion…they prefer to pray and worship at home privately because they don’t have time for church meetings. They believe that church involvement is a human creation, subject to human manipulations advanced under the administration of fallible human leaders. While there is some truth in these sentiments, Christ still summons His discerning disciples to church-based ministry to the world. By the way…all these observations are generally and theoretically true concerning your workplace or job, grocery store, gas station, schools, universities, childcare establishment, and hospitals! Are we rejecting them too?
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 deeply, share life with fellow believers authentically, participate in Christian lifestyle fruitfully, and cooperate in sharing the Gospel of Christ with the world through ministry. 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 personal, or the culture’s demands, traditions, or expectations.
What is the essential nature of a 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.”
A Church focuses on a spiritual mission under Christ’s Authority in the present world. Now, a local assembly operates 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 Matt. 16:16-19. Consider some important lessons and implications from this passage:
1) The Church was started and is being 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. Jesus is responsible for the growth and expansion of the faith!
2) The Church was built upon Christ. The “Rock” upon which the church is built is Christ Himself (vs. 16, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”)—not Peter (compare 1 Co. 3:11; 10:4; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6). Jesus Himself is the true Rock and foundation of the faith! The church is built on the unshakeable truth and reality of who Jesus is—the divine Messiah.
3) The church did not exist until Christ came. It is an entity distinct from Israel not her replacement. There was no assembly like this in the O. T. times (1Cor. 10:32; Eph. 3:3-11).
This powerful passage is worth meditating on because of its importance and relevance to discipleship and church ministry. When we think on Matthew 16:18, we remember in ancient times, city gates were seats of power. This means death and the grave (hell) will not (“prevail”) trap or conquer God’s people. We are to take the spiritual offensive by pushing forward against darkness and sharing God’s eternal truth. Even though doing so may cost our physical lives! Our activities impact eternity, the kingdom of God, and the everlasting souls of people. Spiritual warfare is not about hunting demons. It is about standing strong in the truth that Jesus is the Son of God sent by Him to reach the world with the gospel. Believers do not fight to win a delayed victory. We fight from the victory Jesus already won on the cross and through His resurrection. So, despite intense opposition from demonic forces throughout history, God’s protecting power surrounds His people as we advance the Gospel.
So, a genuine Church is a called-out assembly of baptized believers—disciples following Jesus Christ, associating with fellow believers to live out the Gospel, and sharing 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 in this age. Yet, it is common to plead with believers to attend church regularly and to involve themselves in the various components of the ministry! Priorities have unfortunately been frustratingly confusing among professing believers!
What is the mission of a Church?
The mission of a true Church is to make known the manifold
wisdom of God: the gospel (Eph. 3:10).
Christ gave his church 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.
Conclusion:
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. Humbly 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.
