The Bible is clear that our future as God’s redeemed people is tethered to our past. Who we are today is because of what God has done in our past. What we will become is predicated on what God is doing in us right now. So, our present is birthed out of our past and what and who we are right now are shaping our future.

For the past few weeks I have been emphasizing moving beyond ‘mere salvation’ and growing into becoming disciples who are growing both in understanding our salvation and becoming servants of and for Jesus in specific and tangible ways. This both builds up the body of Christ to a place of maturity and is the best witness to a lost and dying world.

This morning I want to remind you that we cannot do the “what” of God’s kingdom without first knowing ‘who’ we are in Christ. Several years ago we hammered out a purpose statement for our church that would be the source out of which our ministry would flow. Here it is: “We are a Bible-believing body of Christ, dedicated to Worshipping God, Introducing people to Jesus and the Church, Spiritually nurturing them, and Equipping them to serve God, each other, and the world.” This statement describes who we are as a people of God, as a church.

It is very important to understand who we are as a church because who we are determines what we do. The ‘do’ flows out of the ‘are.’ If we understand ourselves as a community service organization then we line ourselves with the Lions Club, the Kiwanis, the PTO, the Red Cross, the Masonic Lodge, the Girl Scouts, the fire and rescue squads and a host of other groups whose purpose is to help people. If we are a business then we meet peoples’ needs in order to increase our financial bottom line and money becomes the reason for our existence. If we see ourselves as a fellowship/social entity then we gather to play pinochle, organize trips to the casinos, enjoy pot-luck suppers, weekend retreats, backyard cookouts and church-wide cruises to Bermuda. If we see ourselves as a political action committee then we join up with Greenpeace, or Focus on the Family, the ACLU or ACLJ, Concerned Women for America or some other activist group. If we see ourselves as a social agency then we find ourselves involved with soup kitchens, pregnancy centers, AIDS coalitions, and homeless advocacy. If the church is the pastor then we show up on Sunday mornings to cheer on the pastor, encouraging him to keep on doing a great job!

Many people see the church fitting into one of these categories as to who the church should be and what the church should be doing. I also agree that these are all apart of our mission and task in this world. But these are all secondary and they stop short of the full measure of who we are as the people of the living God. In essence each one is really very narrow and restrictive views of our identity as Christians.

To clear the confusion about our identity we need to begin with God’s Word, our instruction manual. The word ‘church’ comes from the Greek word, which means, “that which belongs to the Lord.” Another New Testament word closely related to this is “ecclesia” or ‘the called out ones.’ In Romans 12 Paul writes, “And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” A very clear and important distinctive of the church is that we are not like the world, i.e. conformed, rather we are like Jesus, i.e. transformed. God calls us to be in the world, but not of the world, which means that while we live in this world with its self-serving lifestyle, we live our lives from a different perspective. We don’t think nor behave like everyone else. We are holy which means ‘set apart’ solely for God’s use. Elton Trueblood calls the church, “the company of the committed.”

In Acts 20:28 Paul refers to Christians as “the church of God, which he bought with His own blood.” The church, i.e. Christians and SUMC, lives by the power of the death and the resurrection of Jesus. In Ephesians we read that Jesus is the ‘chief cornerstone.’ That means he is that which holds the church together and gives her strength, stability, and durability. Without that Cornerstone, the church collapses upon itself.

Jesus and his disciples where traveling through Caesarea Philippi when He asked them, “Who do people say that I am?” It was bold, impetuous Peter who blurted out, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

I. Notice first of all that the church is primarily divine not human. The Church is of God, established by Jesus through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Jesus said, “I will build my church….” That statement is a statement of fact. It tells us that no matter what we do or don’t do, the Church will go on. We cannot kill it through persecution nor by neglect and apathy because God will always have a people, a remnant of his faithful. When Annie Cusack shared with us her mission trip to Syria she was surprised to see the ruins of many Christian churches in this Moslem land. Remember it was in Damascus, Syria that Paul was converted to Christ and established the followers of Jesus. There is still a remnant of Christians in Syria today. All of North Africa was at one time strongly Christian from which came the great early Christian leader, St. Augustine. Yet there remains a remnant of Christians in those countries. The same is true in Iraq and Iran today.

While the church is divinely ordained, there is a strong human element in it. There is that marvelous blend of God’s Spirit and our response and effort. God cannot do it alone. He needs us. With our cooperation and effort God can have a great church where people are made whole, where healing of body and mind and spirit takes places, where people build one another up and encourage each other to keep the faith. While buildings are important and methods are necessary and human effort is essential, the church exists and operates by the power of the Holy Spirit, ergo it is divine in its source.

II. The church is that it is primarily a fellowship of believers and secondarily an institution. In our humanity we want to reverse that priority because it is easier for us to deal with the tangible institution rather than the intangibles of the spiritual fellowship. Primarily the church is not buildings, and budgets, and programs. The church is not pastors and staff who “do all the work.” Martin Luther rebelled against this perception and preached ‘the priesthood of all believers.’ This means that each of us can be a channel of God’s love and grace, connecting people with Jesus. The Bible teaches that believers are both saints and priests. You are the people of God through whom God wants to work in order to transform the people of this world from godlessness to godliness.

III. The church of Jesus Christ is not individualistic, but corporate. Many today call themselves Christian and are very spiritual, but they are not a part of the church. These are the John Wayne types of rugged, spiritual individualism. Going it alone with Jesus is not Biblical and is outside of God’s plan for His people. A log taken from a fire soon loses its fire and grows cold. Put that same log back into the fire and it ignites again. The Bible refers to the Church as a body. An arm, leg, heart, or lung cannot exist by itself. Likewise you can not live our your relationship to Jesus by yourself. The Church is a living organism existing for each individual member and each individual member exists for the body. The eye exists so that the hand can function properly. The stomach exists so that the other parts can receive the nourishment to operate. The blood exists to carry the energy to the entire body. You get the picture!

Years ago a man told me that his faith was a very private thing. I knew immediately 2 things: he did not understand the Bible and has very little understanding as to what the church was. Our faith is very personal for sure, but is never, ever to be private. If it is private then something is wrong somewhere. As a church we don’t exist for ourselves, we exist for those who are not here yet, for those yet to know salvation through Jesus and become a part of God’s family.

Quite awhile back I was visiting a woman and she told me this story. She was lonely, frightened, and friendless when she attended a particular church for several Sundays. No one said ‘hello’ to her. No one invited her to Bible study or Sunday School. No one asked her name. No one was interested. One Sunday after she left church and was walking dejectedly along storefront window, she said to herself, “I guess I am not wanted at that church.” A voice spoke within her, “I’m not wanted either.” I pray that that never happens at SUMC, but my fear is that it already has. The reality is that you are the only Bible some people will ever read. You are the only image of Christ that some folks will ever see. Are you a turn off or a turn on for Jesus? As the body of Christ, we as SUMC, are to reflect the person of Jesus to the world.

IV. The final characteristic is that the church is universal, not local. While our experience of church is at the local level, the overarching truth is that you and I are a part of something far bigger that SUMC, than southern New Jersey, than the United Methodist Church, and far bigger than the USA. One of the great things about going on a work mission is that those going gain a broader understanding of God’s people, the Church, which exists in Spain, Wales, Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Russia, Guyana, Kenya and yes even in Arizona and West Virginia! God is at work in every corner of His world. We are one little corner of God’s great vineyard and are a part of something far greater that we could ever imagine.

So who are we? We are the Church of Jesus Christ. We are a part of the movement of God’s Spirit, most of which we cannot fathom. We are the redeemed of the Lord, the people of God, the branches of Jesus, the body of Christ, a chosen people, the called out ones, the remnant of Israel, a household of faith, the bride of Christ and much, much more.

And remember this: the gates of hell will not prevail against us!

Thank You for Taking The Time to Read This Message.
May God Use These Words to Help You and Strengthen You.