Date:   11/08/09

Text:   Acts 2:44-47

Title:   The Church

Theme:   

Introduction:

  Which church do you go to? We may say the Chinese church on S.Main and 610. Or if you are from Austin , you may say, Austin Stone, they have great music there. Some may go to Lakewood , because the preaching makes me feel good about myself. Or I go to this church because they have great programs for my kids. Or as one minister describes himself this way, I am serving in one of the largest churches in Houston . We often associate a church with buildings, size, programs, preaching or worship style. We choose the church that fits our taste, just like a restaurant. Since our taste changes from time to time, we may find ourselves going from church to church, again, like restaurant hopping. However, is there a more objective reference point that we can associate a church with? Or even a more basic question, what is church?

  Recently we've been studying that God has revealed to us a body of truth, or also called The Faith. We learned about sin, about grace and the cost of following Christ. We are given this body of truth, so that we can be the light and salt in this dark and broken world. As we obey and follow this Truth, it will begin to transform us and the world around us. This morning we want to look at what God revealed to us about Church. We are to explore what some characteristics of a church are, that will bring about this transformation.

I  •  The essential Marks of a Church.

You want to get a new computer. With all the choices out there, how do you know which one to get? You need to know what you are looking for. You want one that gives you great looking graphics, fast and easy to carry around. It is the same when we come to church. We need to know what makes the church different from other organizations. Let's take a look at what some of the marks of a church are..

First, it is the Word. In 2 Timothy 3:16, 4:2, " 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. " Scriptures, the Bible is from God, is God's word. Then “ 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” God's word must be at the center of a Christian church. The Word is to be the final authority in our faith and life. It guides us and shows us what a church is.

The Bible is not a book to help us be better parents, husbands, wives and children, or even better persons. If that's how we view the Bible, then we'd expect to find the Bible in the Self-help section in Barnes and Nobles or Borders. The Bible is God telling us that he came into the world to save sinners. It is a book to show us how to be obedient to God in all areas of life. It tells and shows us how to love God and our neighbor with all of our heart, mind and strength. When we are obedient to God's word, then we become better persons, parents, husbands, wives and children. Teaching and studying God's word must be an indelible mark of the church.

The second mark is the Sacraments. Some churches use the term ordinances. In Matt 28: 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," and in Acts 2:44-47 we read that the disciples broke bread together. In most of the protestant churches, including this church, there are two sacraments. One is baptism and the other communion. At HCC, we have the tradition of the believer's baptism. Baptism is not about how much or how little water we use. Baptism is a public confession of an inner relationship with God. Baptism is an outward act to symbolize an inner spiritual reality. Whenever there is a baptism in our church, it is always a joyful and celebrative event. Three Sundays ago, we witnessed the baptism of several young men and women. We wanted to make sure our good friends were here, there were flowers, gifts and plenty of pictures. Baptism is indeed a very memorable moment.

The other sacrament is Holy Communion. In some churches it is called the Lord's Supper. At HCC, we sometimes interchange the usage of these two terms. The Roman Catholic church believes that after the priest's prayers, the wine and bread become Christ's blood and body. The Lutherans believe that Christ is present at the table. The Reformed tradition believes the spiritual presence of Christ in the cup and bread. The Baptists believe it is a memorial of Christ's suffering and death. At HCC, we take this as a memorial. The bread and cup symbolize Christ's body and blood. We also believe that by taking the cup and bread, the Holy Spirit brings renewal to our souls. During the Holy Communion, we reflect upon our relationship with the Lord who loves and died for us. Like many of you, my heart is always deeply touched when I partake of the bread and the cup. For those members who are sick or confined in their residences, one of the pastors would visit and serve them the communion. We also take the Holy Communion with the other believers; a symbol of our unity in Christ.

Last Sunday, after the service, an elderly lady came to one of the ministers to request taking the communion for she missed it during the service. Another individual wrote me and asked if anything can be done about his wife who is serving in the nursery at that hour. When I see the congregation treat the communion seriously, it brings great encouragement to me.

In recent years, I have had the opportunity of taking communion with believers in China . On many occasions, I saw them deeply moved when they received the cup and bread and heard these words: this is the body of Christ which is broken for you; this is Christ's blood, which is shed for you in the establishment of the New Covenant. Such desire and response further affirms the importance of the Holy Communion in a church.

The third mark is Discipline. When our children were young and misbehaved, we disciplined them by taking away their privileges such as: watching TV, playing with friends, going into the room or no driving for a week. Sometimes we even spanked them. Yes, we understand the need for discipline at home, but how about at church? This must come as a surprise to many of us. Of all the marks, discipline? What do we mean by church discipline? In Matthew 18:15ff, we learn that when a person sins, the church has the responsibility to point this out. Then the church would help this person to repent, to overcome the sin and rebuild his/her relationship with God and those he/she may have offended. Sometime, in this process, church discipline will be administered. It may involve refraining from the holy communion for a period of time. If the person refuses to repent, then there are times the church may take the extreme measure of removing the person from church membership. The purpose of church discipline is not punishment, but to restore a person's relation with God and men. This is certainly not popular in today's church. If rebuked, the person can simply say, bye, I am not coming to this church anymore. Several years ago, one church publically disciplined one of her members for the sin of adultery. This person turned around and sued the church for ruining his reputation.

To understand church discipline, we need to understand that we are all sinners. None of us can keep watch of ourselves by ourselves. We need the church, the Christian community to point out to us that we have sinned and need to repent. This could be a painful process, but it is good for our souls. A family without discipline, produces unruly children. A church without discipline, produces believers with no fear of God. We should thank God that one of the marks of a church is discipline. It is in this Christian community, people are serious about sin, and care enough to correct us to assist us to grow in the right direction.

The fourth mark of the church is Community. The word ‘church' means a group of people being called to come together. In Romans 12:5, " 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. " The Christians are part of a community. If the church is a community, then we don't say we go to this or that community, instead we belong to this community. Sometimes we hear ourselves say, “I am with Cosco, or Sam's Club, or AAA.” This means we belong to them and receive discounts. When we belong to this community, we care and bear each other's burden. In Chuck Colson's book, 'The Faith" was a story that happened in an Ohio church several years ago. Diana, a choir member of that church learned that another member of her church, Toni, was waiting for a kidney transplant but might not live long enough to get it. Diana was white and Toni black. They hardly knew each other, but Diana felt that she needed to do something. So she offered her kidney and it was a match. Soon, both of them were in the hospital, lying there side by side. One member of the community giving a kidney to another member. This event was later reported in Dateline.

Just about a month ago, there was the tragic death of one of our dear sisters. During those few weeks we saw how different people are brought together to help with the families. On a daily basis, individuals would take off from work, providing rides for the father and brother. After the memorial service, I received an email from one of her friends expressing her gratitude of how this Christian community had helped the family. During that time, on many occasions, some of you kept reminding me to take of myself. You not only cared for Fengling's family, but also showed your care for one of the care givers. One family even gave us a food basket. My heart was deeply touched by such acts of kindness.

Certainly, as a community we have much to improve. We want to make this into a community where individuals can take shelter and receive healing. In this community, we learn to care and bear each other's burdens.

Being a part of this community, or belonging to this community is often expressed in terms of church membership. If you ask me where in the Bible says we have to be a member of the church. I will honestly say, the Bible does not teach about membership. However, membership is an expression that I belong to this community. In this community, we worship God, we listen to his word preached and explained. In this community we are corrected and rebuked when we sin, in order that I can have that close and intimate relationship with God. In this community I care for others and also being cared for by others. For this reason, I want to belong to this community, I want to be a part of this church. I don't come to this community to day, and go to another community tomorrow. Instead, this is where I belong.

II.   The Mission of the church.

Having looked at the marks of a church, let's look at the Mission of the church. From Jesus teaching in Matt 28:19, " 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," 20 "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”", is clear that the church's mission is to bring the good news to the world. This good news, the gospel, is about Jesus coming into the world to save sinner from God's wrath. Having been saved and reconciled to God, we are compelled by his love to care for the sick, the poor, the weak, the voiceless and the oppressed ones. This is the good work we referred to last week.

When worshipping in a NY church several years ago, I was impressed by what I saw in their bulletin. This church doesn't have a building. On Sundays they worship in a rented auditorium of a NY college. Their announcements are full of events and ministries that occur outside the church. For example, this Wednesday evening for those who will visit an Aid's care facility, please meet at such and such place. On Thursday evening we'll meet at such a place to provide meals for the homeless. There were also ministries to the prostitutes. What happens in this Christian community, the small group, the Bible study ministries are there to equip the believers so they can impact the world around them. In many churches, sometimes including this one, we come to worship and learn, we stay here to serve. Instead of impacting the world, we end up impacting each other. The mission of this and any other church is to impact and transform the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

  What is church? Church is a community of individuals who follow Christ. In this community, we worship with other believers. We receive teachings from God's words. When we sin, we are rebuked and corrected so we can restore our relationship with the heavenly father We don't come into this community to expect others to met my needs and expectations. Instead, we help each other to grow and mature; we pray for each other and bear each others' burdens. We are equipped in this community through the teaching and studying of God's words. Having been equipped, we go and impact the world around us.

  In many churches we can find this sign somewhere near the entrance or the lobby. “We enter to worship, depart to serve.” We come here to Worship God and be equipped so that we can serve the world around us. This is how the church impacts and transforms the world.