Thinking Biblically About Church
From "The Pastor's Pen" in the September 2006 Voice of the Valley, the monthly newsletter of Valley Bible Church, by the Reverend Frank C. Emrich. Re-posted here with permission.
~ ~ ~
As I write this, summer is almost gone and many people are in the process of "re-grouping". I like this time of year because it means for most people summer vacation is over and they are returning to church. Sunday school is starting up, AWANA and other ministries begin anew, and it’s good to have the whole family back together again.
As we "re-group" here at Valley Bible Church I want to challenge you to think biblically about [your] church. Specifically your involvement in [your local congregation]. The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy:
Our culture is filled with a multitude of organizations. Civic organizations and social clubs have multiplied. Unfortunately, many see the church as one more such organization. For them the church is just another option to choose. Like the Lions Club, it is engaged in benevolent works, only with an emphasis on spiritual things. So, if you want to engage in benevolent work with a spiritual flavor, then join the church. If that doesn’t interest you, however, then simply join another kind of organization. Any will do. All are optional. In this view of the church, it is seen as primarily organizational in nature.
We are very organization-conscious in our culture, after all. We hear terms like "The institutional church" and "organized religion." Usually people use these terms whenever they are trying to avoid getting involved in church. This is because the church as an organization is not seen as particularly relevant. People therefore believe that they can "opt out" of this organization.
Our text, however, indicates that the curch is much more than simply an organization. The apostle Paul, in writing to Timothy, instructing him in how one ought to conduct himself in relation to the church, calls the church the household of God and the pillar and support of the truth.
The fact that the church is described as God’s household in which we ought to know how to behave is significant. This means that the church has a special importance in God’s plan. And it also means that we ought to know how we are to live and function within that plan. The church is not optional. Jesus established the church. He did not merely establish individual Christian living; He established corporate faith.
When Peter made his confession that he believed that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Jesus announced that He would build upon that confession a community of believers. This community of faith would be called His church. The New Testament assumes that people who are believers are connected to a local church where they live out that faith. Individual and independent Christianity is nowhere to be found on the pages of Scripture.
So the church is not man’s invention, but God’s. Because Christ instituted the church, we should know what it is and how we should function in it. What is the church? How should we define it?
The church is composed of people redeemed by the Son of God, brought together by the will of God to live together as the family of God, in order to do the work of God in the power of the Spirit of God, all for the glory of God.
Why not spend some time thinking about that definition and then praying about the level of your involvement. Is there room for improvement? Most of us would have to say "yes." If you have questions about how you can be more involved, please ask [your pastor].
Allow me to make a couple of suggestions.
Join a [Bible study group]. Join a Sunday school class. Volunteer to serve in the nursery ministry or AWANA, both of which are always in need of more workers. Become part of a missions prayer group. Become involved in a men’s ministry or ladies’ mentoring ministry. And these are just a few areas of involvement available to you.
Remember, it’s not about us – it’s all about Him and His glory.
~ ~ ~
As I write this, summer is almost gone and many people are in the process of "re-grouping". I like this time of year because it means for most people summer vacation is over and they are returning to church. Sunday school is starting up, AWANA and other ministries begin anew, and it’s good to have the whole family back together again.
As we "re-group" here at Valley Bible Church I want to challenge you to think biblically about [your] church. Specifically your involvement in [your local congregation]. The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy:
But in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
Our culture is filled with a multitude of organizations. Civic organizations and social clubs have multiplied. Unfortunately, many see the church as one more such organization. For them the church is just another option to choose. Like the Lions Club, it is engaged in benevolent works, only with an emphasis on spiritual things. So, if you want to engage in benevolent work with a spiritual flavor, then join the church. If that doesn’t interest you, however, then simply join another kind of organization. Any will do. All are optional. In this view of the church, it is seen as primarily organizational in nature.
We are very organization-conscious in our culture, after all. We hear terms like "The institutional church" and "organized religion." Usually people use these terms whenever they are trying to avoid getting involved in church. This is because the church as an organization is not seen as particularly relevant. People therefore believe that they can "opt out" of this organization.
Our text, however, indicates that the curch is much more than simply an organization. The apostle Paul, in writing to Timothy, instructing him in how one ought to conduct himself in relation to the church, calls the church the household of God and the pillar and support of the truth.
The fact that the church is described as God’s household in which we ought to know how to behave is significant. This means that the church has a special importance in God’s plan. And it also means that we ought to know how we are to live and function within that plan. The church is not optional. Jesus established the church. He did not merely establish individual Christian living; He established corporate faith.
When Peter made his confession that he believed that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Son of the Living God, Jesus announced that He would build upon that confession a community of believers. This community of faith would be called His church. The New Testament assumes that people who are believers are connected to a local church where they live out that faith. Individual and independent Christianity is nowhere to be found on the pages of Scripture.
So the church is not man’s invention, but God’s. Because Christ instituted the church, we should know what it is and how we should function in it. What is the church? How should we define it?
The church is composed of people redeemed by the Son of God, brought together by the will of God to live together as the family of God, in order to do the work of God in the power of the Spirit of God, all for the glory of God.
Why not spend some time thinking about that definition and then praying about the level of your involvement. Is there room for improvement? Most of us would have to say "yes." If you have questions about how you can be more involved, please ask [your pastor].
Allow me to make a couple of suggestions.
Join a [Bible study group]. Join a Sunday school class. Volunteer to serve in the nursery ministry or AWANA, both of which are always in need of more workers. Become part of a missions prayer group. Become involved in a men’s ministry or ladies’ mentoring ministry. And these are just a few areas of involvement available to you.
Remember, it’s not about us – it’s all about Him and His glory.
posted by JASmius at 6:32 PM
<<< Home