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Week SIX

Session 6

THE CHURCH

The lesson begins at 29:25. Streamed live on Wednesday May 13, 2020.

Big idea

God has made us part of something bigger.
The Weekly Challenge: Jump in with both feet.
"The holy catholic church,
The communion of the saints"
Grasping Truth
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"The holy catholic church"

 

In these four words, we find what we call the four marks of the church.

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“Church” – The church was founded by Jesus on apostolic teaching.
The Apostles’ Creed doesn’t confess belief in a general idea of “churches” but of a particular thing that was started by Jesus Himself on the truth of who He is as communicated by the apostles (Matthew 16:13-18). Ephesians 2:19-20 tells us that the entire church is built on Christ as the Cornerstone (see week three) and the apostles and prophets as the foundation. The church we confess was founded by Christ and centers on the Bible as its foundation and authority. We can summarize this belief in the word “Apostolic.”

“The” – There is only one church. This can sound really weird because we see so many churches and denominations, but Jesus purchased and established one church (Acts 20:28, Ephesians 5:25). There is a unity shared among all born again Christians because every person who puts their faith in Christ is made a part of Jesus’ church (1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 2:14-19, Romans 12:5). The churches that we see, then, are Christians who are members of the one church living in Bible-commanded covenant community with each other under the care of pastors and deacons in local congregations, or gatherings (1 Corinthians 1:2, Hebrews 10:24-25, Hebrews 13:17, Philippians 1:1). We must remember that the “visible churches” we see are expressions of the one “invisible church”. We can summarize this belief in the word “One”.

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“Holy” – The church is set apart by God for God.
The word ‘holy’ firstly means ‘set apart’, and the church is set apart from the world by God (Ephesians 5:25-26). The word “church” in the New Testament means “assembly” or “called out ones”, and the word ‘church’ in English means “belonging to the Lord”. We have been called out from the rest of the world to belong to Jesus – to worship Him (Romans 12:1), to love Him (Matthew 22:37), and to live like Him (Ephesians 5:1). Secondly, the word ‘holy’ means ‘pure’. Part of being set apart from the world also means being set apart from sin and sinfulness (Ephesians 5:25-26). Sin doesn’t belong in the church (Ephesians 5:3-7). As we think about that, it’s important to remember that we aren’t set apart from the world or from sin by our own efforts. God saved us and set us apart from the world, and God is saving us and setting us apart from sin. We can summarize this belief in the word “Holy”.

“Catholic” – The church isn’t bound by anything but God and His Word.

This might be the single most misunderstood word in the Apostles’ Creed. When we confess that we believe in the holy catholic church, we are not saying we are a part of (or even agreeing with) the Roman Catholic Church. The word ‘catholic’ simply means ‘universal.’ Saying we believe that the church is universal means that though there is only one church, that one holy church isn’t bound to one building, organization, congregation, political party, country, ethnicity, wealth class, gender, or language (Revelation 7:9). The church is not a Sunday morning service, a place on the map, or even a human-ordained institution – it is God’s people (Romans 16:5, Acts 2:42-47). Wherever there are at least two Christians living in covenant community with one another, the church is there (Matthew 18:18-20). We can summarize this belief in the word “Catholic”.

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"The holy catholic church"

 

A saint is not a dead person who did a lot of good things when they were alive. Saint, which means ‘holy one’, applies to every believer who has been set apart by God in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2). If you are a Christian, you are a saint. Saints have an inherent bond together – which is what we mean by the word ‘communion.’ When we confess “the communion of saints” we’re confessing three essential beliefs about the connection between all Christians:

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1) Saints are set apart together in Christ.

We have a bond together because we have been set apart by God in Christ together (1 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 2:19). We share one baptism, one faith, one Lord, and one family (Ephesians 4:4-6).

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2) All saints are equal in Christ.

No saints are more important than others (Galatians 3:28). The Book of James specifically condemns Christians who treat certain other Christians are more important than others (James 2:1-13). We have all been washed by Christ’s blood and we all wear His righteousness (Galatians 3:27, 1 Peter 2:24). None of us are more deserving of that than others (Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Corinthians 10:16). We don’t use that equality to fight for a place among our Christian family but treat each other with even greater dignity and value (Philippians 2:1-4).

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3) Saints need other saints.

It’s not just that we happen to be neighbors in Christ. God has designed the Christian walk to be walked together (1 John 1:3, Hebrews 3:12-14, Hebrews 10:23-25). We need each other in order to grow. There is no such thing as a lone wolf Christian in God’s plan (1 Thessalonians 5:11, 1 John 3:16).

If We Let Go
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Of the Church, we will never grow into maturity.
To paraphrase Al Mohler, a churchless Christian never becomes a mature Christian. We need other Christians to grow, so if we reject the church, we reject the people God accepted, the path He gave us to work, and the people He gave to help us walk it.

Of the communion of saints, we will still never grow into maturity.
Just showing up for a church service isn’t enough. Maturity in Christ is found in the close relationships that the Father wills, the Son died for, and the Spirit works to stitch together. We shouldn’t just show up for a service and avoid relationships with people and wonder why the Christian life feels powerless and empty.
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Of unity, we will fight or neglect each other to death.
If we forget that Christ has made us one, we will fight to unify ourselves or isolate ourselves based on what we think, what we want, and what we feel is right. Churches die when Christians forget that they are not there for themselves, but for the common good of all God’s people whom He has united.
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Of call to holiness, we will look for what looks good to us.
Sometimes we can idolize unity and start to think of what we simply need to let go of so we can all agree. But just as we have been united, we have been set apart. Both are equally important for a church. What unites us is the very thing that purifies as – the blood of Christ. If we let go of the fact that we have been set apart together (not just called to be together) we will live in sin, think the ends justify the means, look like the world, and lack the supernatural change only the Spirit can bring.
Holding Fast
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1) Be totally present.
Attendance with the rest of the church matters! When you’re gone you miss out and we miss out. But this goes way beyond just showing up. And it means way more than just being part of the youth ministry. Believing these truths means being totally present in the church with transparency about yourself, humility in considering others, reliance on your Christian brothers and sisters, and support for others as well. Let all of you be here, not just your bottom in a chair.
 
2) Give up your ‘I’-sight.
Stop looking at this church or other churches only based on what they can do for you, how you feel there, what they can offer you, and how you fit in. Self-centeredness doesn’t belong in a church, but you do, so leave it behind! Consider what you can do for others in the church and how you can be there for them. 

3) Enjoy supernatural communion.
Have relationships with people that you may not have otherwise had relationships with if it weren’t for the gospel. Have multigenerational mentors and friends. Have multiethnic mentors and friends. Have relationships across hobbies, personalities, and tastes in music. NonChristians can be friends with people they are like. Christians should have relationships with their brothers and sisters in Christ. When you are thinking about your communion with the saints, you’re going to stop fighting against and start fighting for them.
The Weekly Challenge

I believe...

God has called me to be a part of something bigger than myself.

Therefore, I...

Will jump in with both feet.
Additional Resources

Additional resources - to help you grasp and hold on to more

Check out all the resources for Authentic Christianity in a World of Counterfeits at the Resources page!
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