Today we are going to focus on Churchology. As with the gospel, many times we have an unhealthy or false view of the church. What is the church and what is the mission of the church? Is the church limited to a building with a steeple and stained glass? Here are some common misconceptions of the church. The church is not…
So then what is the church? First we must begin at the top. JESUS IS CHIEF SHEPHERD Now may the God of peace-- who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood-- may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. {Hebrews 13:20-21} In this passage, who is the Shepherd? Who are the sheep? Jesus is our chief Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep (Gospelology). Many times we have these distinctions brought about mostly by tradition. But here we clearly see that the head of the church is not a pastor, bishop, pope, tele-evangelist, or prophet. Jesus is the head* and we are all part of the body (church). *Colossians 1:18 - He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. JESUS IS FOUNDING PASTOR When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. {Matthew 16:13-18} I love this passage! Jesus says that he is founding pastor and that no one, not even Satan and the gates of hell, can ever stop what he has founded! And hasn’t this stood the test of time? Look at all the persecution that has happened and continues to happen around the world. The church still continues strong. So ultimately Jesus is our chief shepherd, our lead pastor. Again, this speaks to what we spoke about last week, that we are a gospel-centered church. Our church is founded upon Jesus’ founding of the church. Without Jesus’ perfect life, his sacrifice, and resurrection, there is no church. JESUS SENDS OUT Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” {Matthew 28:18-20} After Jesus’ resurrection, he appears to his disciples and gives them this command. The command to make disciples of all nations. This passage is incredible because Jesus tells his disciples that he has all power and authority, and with that power and authority he commissions them to go. He also sends them to teach all his commands. What are some of these commands?
This is how we come into the picture. Because people took this command seriously, today we know the truth and have the hope of the gospel. WE ARE THE CHURCH And so because of this, we too are commissioned to do the same. We are commissioned to make disciples, to love God, love people, to baptize and teach. When we make that decision to follow Jesus, we are adopted into the family of God. We are new creations, purchased by the blood of Jesus. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. {Ephesians 4:15-16} This passage speaks to the fact that we each play an important role in the body as a church. This means that the church is not a building or place. Rather is a people redeemed by Jesus, sent out on mission to make disciples and make Jesus’ name great. This leads us to what we will be talking about next week, Giftology. If we are the church and we play such an important role collectively as the body of Christ, then where do I specifically fit and how do I function? Swerve Church is a new church plant forming in the community of Bushwick in Brooklyn.
1 Comment
|
SWERVE BLOGFollow the blog for the latest info on Swerve and for helpful info on what makes us tick. Archives
January 2019
Categories
All
|