Building the Church #3
Jesus and Us, Perfect Together!
Over the last two weeks we have been talking about building the church and Following the Vision that God has given us for our church body. Growing and building the church is one of God’s major calls upon our lives as Christians and as a congregation of believers. Scripture is replete with words of growth: go, proclaim, preach, give, teach, pray, study, heal, baptize, gather, encourage, admonish, exhort, hold accountable, et al. The body of Christ is a living organism and as such is either healthy, flourishing and growing, or it is unhealthy and dying.
The church is primarily the people and secondarily the building. A couple weeks ago we looked at building the people as we focused on our attitudes of faith and trust, of worship and caring love, and of reaching out beyond ourselves to build and grow people to a place of Christian maturity. Last week we looked at the physical building, our “home” made of brick and mortar, the tangible place that is the focal point of our life and ministry together as the redeemed people of Jesus Christ. We looked at how the physical structure enhances or hinders the work that Jesus has given us to do.
This morning I want us to look at one of the greatest passages of the New Testament and the words of Jesus, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Peter had just proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of the Living God. This was the first acknowledgement as to who Jesus was—more than a carpenter’s son and more than a great rabbi or teacher. This was not only a powerful statement but also a pivotal fulcrum that changed the course of history. I can kinda hear a sigh of relief from Jesus lips, “Finally, somebody gets it!” It is at this point that Jesus declares His great vision for the world God had created.
That great vision is this: “I will build my church.” That statement is loaded with a sense of authority, confidence, certainty, affirmation, assurance and reality. There is absolutely no doubt, no caution, not one bit of hesitancy, and certainly no maybes. This is even more astounding when you consider what Jesus had to work with! A handful of uneducated fisherman who smelled of omega3 fatty acids and dead fish. A revolutionary that some might call a terrorist. A hated tax collector. A Judean of questionable character and loyalty. This was a motley crew of nobodies and yet Jesus could boldly say “I will build my church.”
Those words of Jesus belong to us as well right here and right now in 2008 in Winslow Township. We are a part of God’s great Church and His promise is our promise. As we see this promise work out in our situation, we see it running down 2 parallel tracks like railroad tracks. The one track is the spiritual body of Christ, ie bringing people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and building them up into strong Christians. The other track is that of building the ministry, the work that Jesus calls us to do, and building the concordant facility in which and out of which to make that work a reality. These two tracks, the spiritual and the physical, we have talked about quite often over the years as a family of God.
What shape, how big, what space is included are details that pertain uniquely to each congregation, but there is no doubt in my mind that Jesus will build His church right here at SUMC. I do have doubts however about how He proposes to do it! Like the disciples we are nobodies, and we also have a few scalawags in our midst. We are not a wealthy community nor a wealthy church. The bottom line is that there is no way we can do this. In fact by all rights we shouldn’t even be considering it. As the praise song aptly says, “it’s foolishness, I know.” We simply cannot do it.
But, Jesus said, “I will build my church.” Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “I will build your church,” or even “You will build my church,” or “You will build your church.” We are His Church and this building is His Church. We are merely tenants, sharecroppers, lessees, as it were. The danger is when we think it belongs to us and that we have to do it in our power and by our wisdom. It is then that we get into trouble and the church will cease to grow and will not be built. This is the danger of doing it all ourselves.
The other and opposite danger is just as troublesome and does not grow nor build the church of Jesus Christ either. This is the attitude that says, “Well, Jesus said, ‘I will build my church’ so all we have to do is sit back and let Him do it!” Both of these are unbiblical because God works in us and through us to grow and build His church! Each and every one of us has a part to play in God’s Kingdom and in our church, which brings me to the Winslow High School musical, “Guys and Dolls.” Each student in that production had a part to play. Some sang, some spoke, some danced. Some moved props, some controlled the lights. Some managed the sound equipment. But all did their part to make that play a reality. Then I thought about each actor. Some had big parts. Some had solos. Some had medium parts and some had small parts. But each one in whatever part he or she had did their best, and played it to the max.
Can we build this building? No, we cannot, but God can. Jesus tells us, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) So, can we? Yes, we can! Each one of us, together, doing our part, whatever that part is, doing it as best as we know how with the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, we can do anything. We are His Church, this building is his church, and the very gates of Hell itself cannot prevail against us!