We believe that the Church is Christ’s symbolic body in the earth[1], and that it should reveal His character, His message, and His love to the world. We believe that the Church is to go into all the world, preach the gospel, and make disciples. This will lead people to have fellowship with God[2] and community with others[3].

From our statement we’ve got two things being explained: what is a church is and what does it do. We’ll cover the larger “what it should do” part next week, but first I want to make sure we understand what the church is.

Why Are We Here, Anyway?

Church is kind of weird. Why do we do it? Is this like a country club that people get to come to once they’re Christians? Sometimes churches have that vibe. Is it a perq? A requirement? A tradition? A fun activity? A gathering? A way to earn something?

It’s worth spending a minute to think about. I wonder if it’s something we ever really consider. Is church just “the expected thing to do” if you’re a Christian? Do we come intentionally or because of expectations?

Perhaps We’ve Over-Corrected

Attending Church Doesn’t Make You a Christian

When I was a kid, I learned some clever sayings. For instance, I learned that being in a church doesn’t make you a Christian just like being in a garage doesn’t make you a car. I don’t know if people still think that, but if they do, I suppose this is a good reminder. Attending church doesn’t make you a Christian. Hopefully you’ll learn some things and get to know some people, but if you don’t place your trust in Christ, you’ve missed the point. The church service is for believers. We are here as part of the process of becoming more like Jesus[4]. If you’re checking things out, that’s fantastic. Ask questions and press in. But if you’re here for a long time and you’re not a believer, the bible says there’s danger there[5].

The Church isn’t a Building … Or is it?

We also liked to point out that this building isn’t the church – we are. That’s true, but I think it has some baggage too. This building is not what the bible means when it uses the word church, but it sure is convenient. It’s cold outside! I’m glad we’re in here! And having a stationary building makes it handy to give people directions. So no, it’s not about the building. The church is about much more. But in saying it was about the people, I think we gave an unintended message. I remember the point being made that “church isn’t here – you take the church with you when you leave”. I get what they were wanting to say, but I think in fixing the building problem they made a new one. The new problem is that people think they are the church, so they don’t need to come to the building. I believe that in saying that we (individually) are the church, we’ve accidentally devalued the assembly.

So, What is the Church?

Definition

Our word church doesn’t actually come from the bible’s word for church. The word church is the English version of the word that Scots and Germans pronounce ‘kirk’, and it means “The Lord’s house”. The biblical word translated as “church” is “ekklesia”. If you’ve ever heard the words ecclesiastical[6] or ecclesiology[7], these come from the same Greek word. Ekklesia has to do with being called out, from, and to. The church was called out and from the world and called to follow Christ.

Reformation Principle

The definition and role of the church was a huge dispute in the Reformation. Catholic doctrine said that people could receive God’s forgiveness through the ministrations of the church. In their view, the church was a body with authority to grant or deny access to God. The Reformers responded that no man stands[8] between us and Christ. Because the church is the called out ones, salvation makes us part of the church automatically. So to restate it, no church body controls the access to salvation – but rather, salvation is the point of access for joining the church. I think it is worth looking at how this works.

What Happens When We’re Saved?

Adoption

Part of what happens when we are saved[9] is called adoption. After we respond in faith and repent, we are justified by Christ’s work and then are adopted into his family. What is it to be adopted? Adopted by whom? Adopted into what?

Biblically speaking, we are adopted by God. Peter says[10] to believers, “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God”.God adopts us.

Paul says[11] that too. He said we are joined into the body of Christ. He also speaks[12] of us being grafted in. Those who were not God’s people become God’s people. But God’s family is not a birth family. It is a family that is assembled by God. The Holy Spirit calls, the Son saves, and the Father accepts. This is adoption.

The family we are adopted into is called the church. This community was not man’s idea, it was God’s idea.

Adoption Joins Us to a People

When Peter says, “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God”, he is saying that we went from having no status, to having a status of the highest order. Not only did we go from no people to people – we went straight to people of God! And that status is not an individual status. Certainly, we are saved individually, but we saved in order to make us his people. Upon salvation, our identification became part of a group. The People of God[13]. The Body of Christ[14]. The branches grafted into the vine[15], or shoots grafted into the olive tree[16]. The family of God[17]. The house of God[18]. His field[19]. Foreigners who are now citizens[20]; distant ones who are now brought close[21]. The flock[22] who needed to be gathered together. And even more pointedly, we became part of the bride[23] who was to be married to Christ the groom.

These metaphors bring many things to mind, but what they do not suggest is separation. This language all suggests a tight community that knows and loves one another because of their proximity and frequent gatherings.

Paul calls the church a body. And it is a body in a very real sense – not in a figurative sense like a corporation.

Not a Corporation

A corporation is a legal fiction. My business is a corporation. It’s just an idea written down on paper, but the law treats it as if it were a person. Obviously, it is not a person. There are a number of people in my company, but if you hire my company, you don’t get a person – you get the whole shebang. On paper, that whole package is referred to as a unified whole. For legal purposes, we essentially pretend that it is a person that can act, uphold contracts, fulfill obligations, and be held responsible for them. But my corporation is just a fictional being.

The Body of Christ

It’s a Corpus

The body of Christ is not a corporation, but it has corporality. Corpus is Latin for body. The word corporation means “to assume to have a body” or “to treat as if it were a body”. The word corporality means “having a body”. The church is what a corporation pretends to be. It is a body. You may think of other related words…

The “corporate gathering” or “corporate worship” refer to gatherings and worship done by individuals assembled together into one body. The language is inescapable. Like a legal corporation, the church is comprised of parts. The difference is that the church forms a real thing – the body of Christ. That is foundational and undeniable bible teaching.

Parts of a Whole

When we talk about corporations or bodies, we often call the parts “members”. Your limbs are members of your body. The body of Christ has members[24] as well. I know this can bring up some uncomfortable reactions sometimes but try and set that aside for now. It is an inescapable fact of language that bodies have members, and we see this in scripture as well. When Paul writes the Corinthians, he mentions Crispus and Gaius and Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus… We see the same in other letters. “The church” was not some ambiguous, amorphous, undefined unit. Rather, it was a specific gathering of specific people who were known to Paul. In his letters, he was aware of a couple women who were fighting, he mentioned men who were disturbing the congregation with their false teachings, he knew which people were generous… In other words, the church was a collective body, but it was made up of specific, identifiable members.

No Parts Not Included

The inverse of this is true as well. Not only is the church described in the bible as being made up of individual Christians – but individual Christians are always said to be part of a church[25]. There is nowhere in scripture the concept of a “lone ranger Christian”. There are no families who stay home and call themselves a church. There are no people who identify with the body of Christ who are not also part of committed corporate gatherings. There is no example of a person who chooses to “go it alone” with his faith. These days, I know countless people who use that reasoning, but the uncomfortable reality is that they have strayed from the biblical description of life in Christ.

The early church would have been boggled to hear that there would be people who claim to be “in Christ” yet not a part of his body. If you were to see a severed hand on the sidewalk because it needed to “find itself”, would you think that was a good idea? Would you expect clippings from a houseplant to flourish on the kitchen floor? If you knew a person who was married, yet lived estranged from their spouse, would you think that was the picture of a healthy marriage? You pick the biblical analogy – separation from the church is an alien and destructive idea. You can’t be “in Christ” and not in his body. That just doesn’t make any biblical sense.

Development of the Church in Scripture

I want to look briefly at the biblical definition of the church to help give us a framework for our thoughts and discussions.

The Foundation of the Church

After Peter’s confession of faith[26] that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus said that this confession would be the foundation of the church[27]. In other words, trust in Christ is what would identify people as the “called out ones”. This was not new language.

Ancient History

In Exodus[28], God tells Moses to approach Pharaoh and tell him to set the Israelites free. God actually repeats this command a number of times with greater detail. What he eventually says is “Let my people go so they may come worship (or serve) me on the mountain[29]”.

The first major ekklesia was God calling out his people from Egypt to Mt Sinai. When they got there[30], they gathered around to hear what God had to say through Moses. Today, we do the same – we gather together primarily to receive God’s word. We also respond in worship and prayer, and that’s a very close second.

A Biblical Pattern

When God gives us his word, he is “serving” us in a manner of speaking. I don’t mean this in the health and wealth sense. God is not a cosmic genie who appears to do our bidding. He doesn’t serve us according to our wants, he serves us according to our needs – and we need him. We gather in the service of the word. That’s actually where the word “service” comes from. God serves himself to his people.

This may sound familiar. Jesus is served to us at the communion table. In fact, God is always serving us, and he is always the first to act[31]. No one comes unless the Father first draws him[32]. We love because he first loved us[33]. We respond in faith because Christ first sacrificed himself for us[34]. Why should we think church is any different? God initiates, his people respond. That is the pattern. So too, in church, God gathers us together primarily to serve us with his word, and we respond corporately with grateful hearts in worship[35].

A Group with Authority

In Matthew[36], Jesus gives authority to this body of called out ones. Interesting note: Jesus says what to do if the person does not repent when brought to the church. He doesn’t say kick them out of the church – he says treat them as an unbeliever. Why? Because believers are part of the church! He doesn’t say let them go live their Christianity elsewhere. He’s saying their lack of submission to the church is indication that they are not believers. That’s worth some serious thought.

The Church is Born[37]

Luke ends his first book[38] with Jesus instructing the disciples to stay in Jerusalem. His second book begins[39] with the account of the Holy Spirit coming to live within the assembled believers. In this account we see a pattern: the gospel is preached[40], people come to faith in Christ[41], they are filled with the Holy Spirit[42], they are baptized[43], and they assemble[44] as a group[45] (church). After that, the group/church gathers to hear the word, to worship, and to serve one another[46]. But this isn’t a unique thing. This becomes the model that Luke describes occurring everywhere throughout the beginning of what we now call the church age.

The Church Age

From here on we see Paul follow the same pattern. Go to a new area, call unbelievers to repentance, baptize them, build a church, appoint elders to oversee it. We even see him give instructions on how to set up the churches, how the governing positions within the church are to work, what constitutes proper qualifications for service, and on and on.

Recap of New Testament Church Language

So, we’ve seen that the idea of “called out ones” was an ancient concept that the Jews would have well understood. Even Greeks and Romans would have understood the more recent secular reference to the public assembly of the people. From the entire witness of the New Testament, we see that following Christ makes us new people. Paul says we are new people because we are each made a “new creature” in Christ[47]. Peter takes another approach[48] and says that once we were not “a people”, but now we are. So, by placing our trust in Jesus, we become new individuals with new hearts and we simultaneously become part of a new collective with a new allegiance.

Jesus talked about believers “abiding in the vine[49]”. He spoke of himself as the true vine and believers as the branches. He was the head, the originator, and the source of nourishment. True believers remained healthy attachments, but false believers were pruned away. Pruned away from what? Christ? Yes. The church? Yes. Because the church is referred to as the body of Christ, it’s all the same thing – just described with a different word picture.

Paul wrote extensively about the “body of Christ”. He says we are one body because we partake of his body in communion.[50] He spends an entire chapter[51] explaining that in the same way our own body has parts, the church too has parts. His point is profound: Though we are a unified corporate being, our individual identity is not lost[52]. There are parts of our bodies that might not seem as “glamorous” as others. But just because your face is seen by more people than your appendix does not mean that your appendix does not serve a vital function. Some are more visible, or more presentable, or more memorable, but that means nothing with regard to value. Each member of your body plays a vital role. Each member of Christ’s body plays a vital role. And related to that thought he mentions spiritual gifts[53] – these are abilities or ways of serving that are given to each member. There’s a passing verse that’s important here. He says that these gifts are given for the common good[54]. The point here is that the gifts are for the church. The body of Christ is a collection of many individuals, and they are to serve one another with their gifts. Just as there is no biblical concept of believers without a church, there is no concept of gifts of the spirit apart from the church.

Clarifications and Possible Objections

So am I the Church or Not?

This gets us back to the question I started with. If being a Christian joins me to the church, weren’t they right when they said we took the church with us when we left the Sunday gathering? In a manner of speaking, yes. We each take the message of the church with us. We share the witness of the church. But we are not each the church, per se.

This is what is called the “whole-to-part fallacy”. I only mention this because I know people love logic lessons.

[Holding up a Lego brick] Is this a car?
[Holding up a Lego car] Is this a car?

In Legos, a car is made from bricks. Without bricks there can be no car. However, it doesn’t work the other way around. Each brick is not the car.

Similarly, the church is comprised of individual believers. Without believers there is no church. But each believer is not by himself the church.

We are a part of the church. Collectively, you are the church.

Isn’t This Legalism?

Some will likely object that this is legalism. It is not. Legalism is when we take an issue of lesser importance or of personal conviction and set it up as a requirement for Christianity. If I say that Christians may not dance or play Euchre, or that they must get circumcised, I am taking things that are not biblical requirements for salvation and acting as if they were. But I’m not taking an issue of lesser importance here. We’ve looked at numerous examples that show the importance of this doctrine.

Is There No Valid Reason to Miss Church?

Now, we could get into legalism if we were to take attendance or place value on people because of how often they come. And this is not a caricature – I’ve seen this firsthand. I don’t know anyone here who is interested in that. We are interested in helping one another to flourish as human beings who are striving after God. The author of Hebrews warns against falling into the habit of skipping. There is no suggestion that a perfect record is mandatory. In fact, if you are sick and contagious, please don’t come to church! By staying home, you care for yourself and you love your neighbor by not infecting them. If you are traveling, I don’t see any mandate here either, though I do believe there is a blessing in finding a church service to attend if you are able. That’s one of the wonderful things about the family of God – you can drop in anywhere, because you’re family[55].

What About Work?

What if it’s more frequent? What if my job keeps me away from church?

I’m no authority, but the bible is. It says not to forsake gathering together[56]. In simple language, the author of Hebrews is saying “don’t skip church - even though there’s a lot of people who have that habit”. This is not a comfortable thing for me to say, because I know many of you in different situations. I’m not here to come down on anyone personally. Even privately, I may tell you what I think scripture teaches, but that doesn’t mean I dislike anyone or think less of them. All I can do is tell you what scripture says.

I suppose I can also tell you about my decisions, but those aren’t binding on anyone but my family. I grew up with the implicit understanding that if the church doors are open, we’re going. Sunday morning, Sunday evening, mid-week, father and son breakfasts – you name it, we were there. As I’ve grown, I’ve come to appreciate that. I don’t think that Wednesday night service or game night or similar things are binding on us, but I will tell you this – I try not to miss them. There are wonderful benefits to all sorts of corporate gatherings of the body that we’ll talk about next week. Like I said, we try not to miss those. However, when it comes to the Sunday morning service – the opportunity God has given us to meet with our fellow laborers, our brothers and sisters in the faith, and to hear from him? What possible reason would I have to miss that? The creator of the universe is holding open court. I can hear from him and be heard by him. I want to be there for that! I will plan my week around that. Work, play, all of it.

So here’s my bottom line. I would not recommend a career or a sport or anything else that would regularly take you out of the Sunday service. I’m not saying it’s the law, but would encourage you strongly. I could tell you countless stories of shipwrecked lives and broken families that might have had a different outcome had they ordered their priorities differently. I have been there myself. I enjoy sleeping in. I work Monday through Friday. We do chores Saturday. When else can I sleep in? I’ve had to work on Sundays before too. And each time, I’d say that though my priorities listed God first, my calendar told a different story. I’ve been on both sides, and I’m here to tell you that I would not go back. If there’s church on Sunday, my plan is to be here.

What if I Just Can’t Come?

I realize there are plenty of other circumstances. What about the disabled, the permanently homebound, and others who have legitimate and unavoidable reasons that keep them from coming?

If you are legitimately homebound for whatever reason, please don’t take any of this as guilt. There are always those in the body who we need to accommodate. There are those who visit members in the hospital and in their homes. We record and live stream the service for those who can’t make it for whatever reason. But we have the word ‘exception’ for a reason. The reason is because we know what the norm is supposed to be. If you are the exception to the rule, our hearts are with you and you should have no guilt.

I Go to Church Online

What about people who say that they go to church online? I am here to tell you that this is not church.

· But can’t I hear from his word on my own in the woods? ……. Absolutely you can.

· Can’t we worship God while cleaning the house? ……. Sure we can!

· But I’m fed through sermon podcasts and books. ……. That’s great!

Those are all wonderful, but they are not church.

I can love my wife wherever I travel in the world, but if I never see her, is that the same thing? I can take responsibility for my kids and get them in the right schools and the right youth groups and get them interviews for good jobs and all the rest, but does that mean I don’t spend time with them? These are horrible analogies, but hopefully you get the point. We work out our faith individually – we pray, we seek, we read, we worship, we listen to podcasts, we watch videos, we read books – and this is all good! But you cannot outsource church.

Do Not Forsake the Assembly

We know we are the body, and we know whether our circumstances are avoidable or not. We know we shouldn’t “forsake the assembly as is the habit of some.” We know we belong in community. You don’t need guilt from me, and I don’t want to give it. But if there is truth today that you need to hear, then I want you to be uncomfortable! I hope it digs in and festers, because that is how the Holy Spirit makes us better. This is life in Christ! This is life in the body. And the digging and festering sometimes come from the Holy Spirit through our friends, but that too is for next week.

Closing

God is everywhere. This is unquestionable. There is no place where he is inaccessible or unaware. However, he has always instructed his people to "come out" – to assemble before him. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which is receiving God's service. To remove ourselves from the church body and the gathering of the church is to separate ourselves from the primary means of grace[57]that God has instituted. This is why it is crucial to come to church.

And with that, I dismiss you with the words Paul wrote to the Romans,

“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ[58].”

_______________________________________________________________________

[1] Colossians 1:24; 1 Corinthians 12:27

[2] Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19,20; Mark 16:15,16

[3] 1 Corinthians 12:13

[4] Romans 8:28-30

[5] Hebrews 6:4-8

[6] Related or pertaining to the church

[7] The study of the biblical doctrine of the church

[8] For instance, 1 Timothy 2:5 – “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”

[9] Theologians talk about something called the order of salvation. It’s the idea that salvation can be broken down into individual events or separate aspects we can discuss. There is the part where God knows about our future salvation. There is the time when we first hear the general call of the gospel. The Holy Spirit calls us individually. We each respond. On and on. Depending on your perspective, we could talk of up to eleven things that are related to salvation, or contribute to salvation, or result from our salvation.

[10] 1 Peter 2:9-10

[11] 1 Corinthians 12:13; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; Romans 12:4-5; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:24; Ephesians 4:15-16

[12] Romans 11:11-24

[13] 2 Corinthians 6:16

[14] Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 10:17; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27; Ephesians 4:12; Ephesians 5:23; Ephesians 5:30; Colossians 1:24

[15] John 15:1-17; Also read John 12, starting at v20. Why does it mention Greeks (non-Jews) coming to Jesus, then his response a speech about his imminent death? He knew that their arrival signaled the end of his ministry and his coming death. He gives clues about the grafting in when he says in v26, “My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

[16] Romans 11:11-24

[17] John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Matthew 12:49-50; Ephesians 2:19, 3:6; Galatians 3:29, 6:10; 1 Timothy 5:1

[18] 1 Corinthians 3:9-17, 6:19; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5-7

[19] 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

[20] Ephesians 2:19; Philippians 3:20

[21] Ephesians 2:11-13; Acts 2:39

[22] Acts 20:28; John 10:16

[23] Revelation 21:9; Revelation 19:7-8; 2 Corinthians 11:12; Ephesians 5:31-32

[24] Early on, we read that believers gathered on the first day of the week to commemorate Jesus’ rising from the dead. These were the earliest Christian church gatherings. When the apostles traveled, they set up churches wherever they went. The New Testament is written mostly to “the church at …”. There was the clear assumption and expectation that believers would gather together.

[25] To head off possible objections, of course Jesus was not – and the apostles and other church-planters were not either. So, barring people who were out planting churches, or who were in prison for doing so, Christians in scripture were church members.

[26] Matthew 16:13-20

[27] Not Peter, who Catholics claim to be the first Pope

[28] Exodus 3:10

[29] Exodus 3:12, 5:1, 8:1, 8:20, 9:1, 9:13, 10:3, and on and on

[30] Exodus 19

[31] Romans 11:36

[32] John 6:44

[33] 1 John 4:19

[34] 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Colossians 1:20; Romans 5:9-11

[35] Whether OT or NT, the pattern that emerges is that “the gathering” (synagogue or church) is the assembling of God’s people to hear from his word. This is what God’s people the Jews had done for millennia, so it was not an unusual thing for them to hear Jesus say.

[36] Matthew 18

[37] In its New Testament sense, at least

[38] Luke 24:45-53; Also recapped in Acts 1

[39] Acts 2

[40] Acts 2:17-36

[41] Acts 2:38a

[42] Acts 2:38b-39

[43] Acts 2:41a

[44] Acts 2:41b

[45] Or, in many cases back then, form one

[46] Acts 2:42-47

[47] 1 Corinthians 5:17, for one example

[48] 1 Peter 2:9-10

[49] John 15

[50] 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

[51] 1 Corinthians 12

[52] 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

[53] 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

[54] 1 Corinthians 12:7

[55] I’ve had a number of friends who have left Christianity say this is one of the biggest things they miss. They envy the belonging and kinship that believers (even those who are strangers to one another) share.

[56] Hebrews 10:25

[57] Broadly speaking, the church service itself, but more specifically the sacraments of communion and baptism, which also occur within the church.

[58] Romans 15:5-6