A Model of Church, part one (Sermon)

How do we define the Church? One way to define a thing is by what it is not. The church is not a building; the church is not membership in a certain denomination; the church is not an event held on Sunday Morning or Wednesday night. The church IS a group of believers gathered in Jesus name for a specific purpose.

That leads us to the second question: What is the purpose of the church? The purpose of the church is to glorify God in all things. Eph. 1.11-14. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

Models are a means of understanding something, and there are many models of church. Let us consider just a few. First, there’s the machine model. You know, the model where the nominations committee meets and fill the slots. As long as all the cogs are in place, the machine can grind on without fail. Then there is the business model, with the executive committee (Ad. Council) dictating its will to the other committees. But what are the biblical models?

The most prominent model is the organic model, i.e., we are a living organism. The images used are the tree, the body, the vine, etc. Organic organisms are made up of cells. Remember back to Biology 100: all cells have a certain structure. First the cells have a nucleus (central core). The nucleus of the church is glorifying God. Around this nucleus are three areas or three movements that help us glorify God. Let us look at these movements, to understand the structure God has placed within the church.

I. Worship: Worship is not just songs; worship is our relationship with God. It is the reality of this world responding to the reality of heaven. It is the movement upward, as we draw closer to God. (Ps. 95.6-7) Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the sheep of his hand.

II. Community: (Gr. Koinonia) This is where we get the multitude of one another passages that are so prevalent in the New Testament. (There are 56 in the New Testament.) This is the movement inward, into deeper fellowship with others within the faith community, first locally, then in the broader context of the church. (Heb. 10.24-25) And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

III. Witness: Not just programs, witness is also our reputation in the community. (What is your church known for?) How do we as the church reach beyond our four walls to bring Glory to God within our own community and the larger context of the world? This is the movement outward, into the world as we seek and save the lost. (Jn. 20.21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Mk. 16.15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.)

Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at each of these three areas in greater detail, but we need first to understand the necessary core - that we are to be about the Glory of God. And I want to point out that the walls do not separate these areas, but each area influences and affects the other areas. If we as a community are strong in the area of community, it will help our worship and witness; likewise, if we are deficient in an area, it pulls us down in every other area.

Nevertheless, we can truly become the church that Christ has called us to be as we journey upward towards God, inward with each other, and outward into the community as we seek to Glorify God.