The Fountain of Life Church: THE CHURCH -Part 1

“If it’s not about Jesus, it’s not about anything”

(Motto of the Fountain of Life Church)

Sermon Series at Given at the New Life in Christ Church
Cambridge, Ohio beginning 6/4/16

SPS: The Sermon Purpose Statement is to address the five following questions:

1. What is the Church? 2. Why do we need it? 3. What is its purpose? 4. What does it look like? 5. Where is the Church?

THEME: Guiding this study will be two scriptures which shall be linked together.

Matthew 16:18: “Jesus said, ‘I will build my Church.’”

Ephesians 5:25: “…as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it.”

Brethren, this means that Jesus is building His church. And He loved it so much that He died for it. His love infuses everything.

1. WHAT IS THE CHURCH?

The Bible presents many examples of the church. The Old Testament refers to those following God as the Congregation of Israel. Both the Old and New Testament refer to God’s followers as the People of God. In his parables, Jesus variously describes the church as a mustard seed, a field with wheat and tares, a fishnet, a vineyard, a flock of sheep, a building, a temple, etc. Just as the church has many characteristics, Jesus described a different facet of the church, as the occasion of the parable warranted.

The Church is all of these things. However, this series shall confine itself to the Greek word church, ekklesia, (Matthew 16:18: “And upon this rock I shall build my church.”) and to the Church as begun on Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 2:47: “the Lord added to the church daily.”)

A good starting point in answering the question, “what is the church” is to locate a concise scripturally based definition and examine it.

In their 2001 publication “Statement of Beliefs*” Grace Communion International (GCI) offered this definition of the church: (*visit the GCI web page at: www.gci.org for a full list of publications, articles and church locations)

2001: “The church, the body of Christ, consists of all who have faith in Jesus Christ and in whom the Holy Spirit abides. The church is commissioned to preach the gospel, to teach all that Christ commanded, to baptize, and to nurture the flock. In fulfilling its mission, the church is directed by the Holy ‘Scriptures, led by the Holy Spirit, and looks continually to Jesus Christ, its living Head.”

In 2009, GCI modified the above definition. The modification now found in the “Statement of Beliefs” is as follows:

2009: “The church, the body of Christ, consists of all who trust in Jesus Christ. The church is commissioned to make disciples of Jesus by reaching out in love to all people, nurturing and baptizing those who believe, and teaching believers to obey all that Christ commanded. In fulfilling this mission, the church is directed by the Holy Scriptures, led by the indwelling Holy Spirit, and looks continually to Jesus Christ, it living Head.”

It is instructive to compare the 2009 modification with the 2001 definition.

2001: The church, the Body of Christ, consists of all who have faith in Jesus Christ and in whom the Holy Spirit abides.

2009: The Church, the Body of Christ, consists of all who trust in Jesus Christ.

Slight change: The relational aspect of trust in Jesus is presented here while faith in Jesus and the abiding of the Holy Spirit are assumed.

2001: The church is commissioned to preach the gospel, to teach all that Christ commanded, to baptize, and to nurture the flock.

2009: The church is commissioned to make disciples of Jesus by reaching out in love to all people, nurturing and baptizing those who believe, and teaching believers to obey all that Christ commanded.

Slight change: The relational aspects of making disciples through love and nurturing are recognized first, while teaching is secondary and preaching is assumed.

2001: In fulfilling its mission, the church is directed by the Holy Scriptures, led by the Holy Spirit, and looks continually to Jesus Christ, its living Head.

2009: In fulfilling this mission, the church is directed by the Holy Scriptures, led by the indwelling Holy Spirit, and looks continually to Jesus Christ, its living Head.

Slight change: The reciprocal and personal aspect of an indwelling relationship is showcased over the somewhat hierarchal aspect of the more formal relationship of being led.

Both definitions are very true; very scripturally correct yet, the newer one has a subtly deeper sense of personal relationship and inclusion than the older one.

Let us restate the above paragraphs and consider that we now see the relational aspect of trust in action, in that the person of Jesus is prioritized in the 2009 definition, while faith in Jesus and the abiding of the Holy Spirit are assumed.

The act of trust is unmistakably personal and relational. The church is commissioned to make disciples of Jesus by reaching out in love to all people, nurturing and baptizing those who believe, and teaching believers to obey all that Christ commanded.

The relational aspects of love and nurturing are recognized first, while teaching is second and preaching is assumed. In fulfilling this mission, the church is directed by the Holy Scriptures, led by the indwelling Holy Spirit, and looks continually to Jesus Christ, its living Head.” The relational, personal aspect of the Holy Spirit’s active indwelling is showcased over the somewhat formal, somewhat impersonal description of our being led.”

Yes, beloved, the Church, the body of Christ, consists of all who have faith in Jesus Christ and in whom the Holy Spirit abides. More simply, the Church, the body of Christ, consists of all who trust in Jesus Christ. In all truth, maturity is trusting Jesus. Let’s now examine several scriptures together.

1 Cor. 12:13…For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one spirit.

For by one Spirit. Christians become members of the Body of Christ, this Church, the called out ones at Baptism. We drink from the same Spirit into which we were baptized. We are not born by one spirit and nourished by a different spirit. We drink from the same Spirit. Therefore, we share in each other’s lives through the same spirit. This is relationship. As we are one with the spirit in Jesus, likewise through the Spirit of Jesus we are one with each other.

Rom. 8:9…But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

If the Spirit of Christ dwells in us, we are in His Church. Paul poses the basic question to us all. Are we of the flesh and of the devil or are we of the Spirit and of Jesus? How do we know into which camp our souls march; the flesh or the spirit?

We recognize that our thoughts and actions must be conformable to Christ (Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.”) Therefore, anybody who argues that, because of grace I can sin all I want; anybody who sees grace as a justification to sin freely does not know Christ; does not have His mindset.

We know this because the mindset of Christ by virtue of His divinity; and therefore by the definition of divinity is opposed to sin. Therefore, those who justify sinning freely do not manifest the mind of Christ, which is opposed to sin. Therefore, not knowing the mind of Christ, they cannot know his outgoing love. Jesus is love and it is only though knowing Jesus, it is only through Jesus living in and through us that godly outgoing love is possible. Remove knowledge of Jesus from our mind and Christ’s godly motivating love is also removed.

The mindset of Satan is manifested in the freedom to please himself all he wants. More precisely Satan desires solely and exclusively his own pleasure. His desired are directed inward toward serving himself. This next point is important; Satan cannot desire outgoing godly love, agape love. He cannot, because the love of Christ is not in him, because the mind of Christ is not in him.

This next point is also important. God gave us legitimate pleasures for our enjoyment. However, if the foundation of our works, if the foundation of our pleasure is our own selfishness, then that selfish inward bias contaminates everything we touch: our legitimate pleasures, our legitimate desires, our best moral codes, our purest doctrines etc. That contamination performs a remarkable conversion. It makes our basest carnal action and our noblest moral act the same thing - a selfish action done without love to please ourselves.

Yes, brethren, a noble moral work can be worthless. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 13:3: “If I give all my goods to feed the poor and I give my body to be burned, and don’t have love; it profits me nothing.” The carnal mind does not have the ability to love.

** Lacking the ability to love, the carnal do not have the freedom to love. That freedom comes only with Christ dwelling in us.

Four Types of Love

[**There are four types of love. All humanity possesses the first three: 1. Storge: Love of family. 2. Philia: Love of friends. 3. Eros: sexual love. Only Spirit born children of God possess the fourth love: 4. Agape: This is godly love, unselfish love, love directed outward.]

The mindset of Christ is, that because of grace we have the freedom to love all we want. Because Christ dwells inside us His love can flow out from us. We are free to love and perform works of righteousness and justice all we want. If Christ dwells in you, then you dwell in the Church and are free to love, because in the church, the body of Christ, you possess the ability to love. And the church is commissioned to preach the gospel, baptize and nurture the flock, all in love.

Matt. 28: 19-20…Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

It is important to recognize that this commission is not theoretical. It was not derived as a principle found by combining several scriptures. It did not evolve as a corollary from an existing doctrine. It was not voted upon by a board of directors to decide upon a mission statement for the new social institution.

It was Jesus Himself who came and spoke this commission to the disciples. He was not standing at a far off distance; he did not send word by an ambassador. No, He came in person. He was the one who gave convincing proofs to them; the proofs of all his miracles, the proof of all his teachings, the proof of his death and Resurrection, and the proof of His Ascension. They all saw these proofs; they were not second hand stories or myths. The disciples were there and they saw and they believed. And Jesus does not go away and leave them to their own devices. Jesus gives this promise that He will be with them, with us until the end of the age. Jesus indicates that He has a past, present, and future commitment to stay with us and His Church.

The Church as the Body of Christ:

Colossians 1:18…And He is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.

Jesus is the firstborn and all fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him. And the miracle of the vicarious life of Christ is that the fullness of the Godhead in Him has great meaning for humanity. For as the fullness of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22) dwells in Christ, they dwell in us.

We receive this fullness directly from Christ (Ephesians 1:23). Christ is preeminent. It is His preeminent will that there is direct contact between Him and His Body; yes, a direct contact. Therefore, there is no filter between Christ and His Body. There is no mediator between his Body and the Church or between His Body and the individual members within the Church. We all have direct access to the Lord and Savior.

Ephesians 1:22…And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church.

All things under His feet! Is that not amazing? Look around you. What do you see? Christ is over that. Look at the sun and the moon and the stars. Christ is over that. Look at what you don’t see. Look at the Higgs Bosom particle and quantum gravity. Christ is over that. Look at the wind, look at electromagnetic force, and look at light. Christ is over that. Look at what you can’t measure. Look at thrones, dominions, powers, principalities (Colossians 1:16), angels, archangels, the seraphim, the cherubim. Christ is over those.

The same unfathomable power which is over these, yes that same power is over the Church. That same power is over us. What a tremendous blessing, that this powerful God’s will is to be our God. If He willed not to be our God, we, simply, would not exist. He does not need us for anything. He does not need to love us. He simply wills to love us. That power, that Holy will, that love is all for us; for all of us. That is Good News indeed.

In Part two of three, question 2, “why do we need the church?” and question 3, “what is the church’s purpose?” will be addressed.

Benidiction: May God our Father and Jesus, His Son and Our Lord and Savior, bless you all with grace, joy, peace, and love. Amen