Who Are We?

Micah Butterfield

What Do You Believe - Church Part 1 • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ABOUT THE CHURCH?

Questions people have about the church:

Why do I actually need to go to a church? / Why do we actually do what we do / (Recently) Why not just listen to a podcast or a pastor online? / Or why do I need to listen to listen to a pastor at all? (Who put them in charge?)

Do I actually need to be part of a church?

Once I say yes to this… then I have to find out what I'm looking for in a church.

Question - What are people looking for in a church?

Do they have a good kids ministry? / Are there programs that meet the needs of my family? / What about a singles ministry? / Is there good coffee? / What style of music? (Contemporary worship / Traditional Worship) / Is there relevant preaching / deep teaching? / Is it a place that I won’t be asked to do too much? (consumeristic)

Goldilocks “Syndrome - “this bed’s too hard”, “it’s just right”

What do you look for in a Church? What are we supposed to look for in a church?

In order to answer that question, you must first understand what God’s design is for the church?

Through our “What Do You Believe” series we’ve laid the groundwork to actually discuss what we believe about the church. Because if we get our theology wrong, we get everything else wrong.

What do you believe about God? (Theology) / Jesus? (Christology) / Holy Spirit? (Pneumatology)

Now we can answer “What do you believe about the Church?”

Who are we? (Ecclesiology) Family

What do we do? (Missiology) Missional living mindset

How do we do it? (Methodology) The thing that is least important is the thing that is most visible.

The Beginning of the Church

Acts 2:40 ( ESV ) -- With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (The Didache, a handbook on Christian morals and church order (early 2nd c.)) and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

“AND THE CHURCH OF CHRIST WAS BORN.”

33 AD - the church is started in Acts. 2

From 33 to 306 much persecution

306 -313 - Constantine becomes emperor and restores Christianity and makes legal religion

Positive

Women were given more dignity, slaves were given better treatment, and the gladiator games were eliminated altogether. Constantine also outlawed infanticide in 315 and provided a new form of welfare in 321 so that poor families wouldn’t have to sell their children.

Negative

the Roman government increasingly involved itself in church affairs. This turned the church’s internal doctrinal disputes into political battles.

As the church became more powerful, the clergy developed into a high ranking powerful political group.

Gospel preached from these pulpits often did not sound like good news to the poor. Instead, wealth and social status were seen as evidence of divine favor

During the Arian controversy in a debate over whether Jesus was God or just the Son of God, the state sided with the heretics for over a generation. As a result, for several decades, an officially Christian government persecuted orthodox Christians.

381, Emperor Theodosius I completed the transition by making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. In a single lifespan, Christianity had gone from persecuted religion to the most powerful religion in the world.

325-787 ‘Seven Ecumenical Councils’ (what do we believe/doctrine)

12th-19th century - Inquisitions (Roman & Spanish)

Was started to protect the church from heretics

1517 - The Reformation (Martin Luther)

Protestants split from the Roman Catholic church

1600-1900 Many denominations birthed (Great Awakenings built the denominations)

From the time the church was born until today, its reputation has been tarnished and the members have both persecuted and been persecuted. It’s easy to discount and discard the validity and the necessity of the body of Christ. For some, you want to distance yourself from it

Even with those negative parts in history, God has still used the church to carry the gospel from generation to generation. We should know about our history or we will repeat it.

So when many people hear the question “What do you believe about the church?” They go to this timeline. But is that what the church is? Today we want to answer the big question …

WHO ARE WE? ( identity)

We are the church.

The Greek word for church is ekklesia - Gathering of people (ecclesiology)

First mention of the Church is in Matthew 16:18. In this passage, Jesus brings His disciples outside Jerusalem and asks them who they think He is (v. 15). Peter responds by declaring, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). Jesus tells Peter that he received this revelation from God. After such an important revelation, we might think the Lord would speak more about it. But instead, as soon as Jesus confirms this revelation, He responds by declaring: “Upon this rock I will build My church.” The revelation of the church here is so importance to Christ that He pairs it with the revelation of who He is.

Mat. 16:18 NIV And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

We are the body of Christ.

Ephesians 1:22-23 (ESV) 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Rom. 12:5 NIV 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

We are members of one body and Christ is the head.

We are the family of God.

Our identity (Who we are) is based on whose we are.

What’s one of the most identifying things about you? Your name - your family. What family you’re a part of.

The family is the most biblical illustration for what the church is over a business, corporation, or a club.

1 Peter 2:9 NIV But you are a chosen(adopted) people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We are Chosen = Adopted We are now family (Brothers and sisters)

The Church is the family of believers who are united in Christ, in all times and all places, and expressed in many different congregations or gatherings. (Sealed into family by H.S.)