Is Church Relevant?

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:

1.       Followers keep company with Jesus and one another.
2.       Followers live His way.  It was a call to live life His way in relation to the Father and to others.
3.       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:

1. 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.
2. 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).
3. 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.

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^[1] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 1472). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.