What Is the Church? Part 1

Transcript

GR 1787
19/26/2014
What Is the Church? Part 1
2 Corinthians 1:1; Acts 2:37-47
Gil Rugh

We're going to 2 Corinthians in your Bibles. That great grace which the ladies just ministered in song is a pervading theme in the Scriptures, something we must ever keep before us—all we are, all we have, all that we ever will be through eternity is a testimony to God's great grace. And certainly the message to the church, the church at Corinth and through the church at Corinth to us is a message of God's great grace.

We've just begun a study of this letter. We're not going to make much progress into the letter in our study today because I want to talk some about the church. We've looked at the opening statement, verse 1, where Paul identified himself as “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” We noted that an apostle as Paul refers to himself occupied a special position. This word apostle is a general work, someone sent, representing on behalf of someone or something else. But it has a particular significance when used of someone like Paul or the twelve apostles in the New Testament. We noted the special qualifications and requirements to be an apostle, to have seen Jesus Christ after His resurrection from the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul said he was a unique case, the last one to have that particular experience. He had to have his ministry validated by signs, wonders and miracles because the apostles along with the prophets were going to be recipients of new revelation from God, what we have now as our New Testament. We have the revelation of God complete, so the ministry of apostles passed off the scene. We are not giving new revelation, we are simply studying and teaching and learning from the revelation God has given as Ephesians tells us, we are being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the teaching that they gave which comprises what we know as our New Testament.

Timothy a fellow believer is with Paul. We've talked about Timothy. We've been studying Paul's first letter to Timothy on Sunday evenings. And then he's writing to the church of God which is at Corinth. I want to spend a little bit of time talking about the church. As we move into this letter written to the church, I just want to remind you of what the New Testament says about the church. There is great confusion that concerns me in the evangelical world over the whole doctrine of the church. How can we appreciate the instructions to the church if we're not even clear on what the church is? What is the church? And in our day it seems like believers roam from one church to another indiscriminate and unaware of the differences that are often there in the view of the church. And it's hard to talk about what the church is to do if you don't even know what the church is. We have all kinds of suggestions and ideas, and I'm going to share some with you. And I hope I don't lose you along the way, but I want you to be aware of what is going on in the evangelical world. By that I mean those who profess to be Bible-believing Christians. I'm just going to use one reference. After the service last week I was asked by someone about a certain writer. They had been reading some of his stuff and I went and got out a book and reread it that I had read a few years ago. Just a reminder of what is going on in the world and the different views of the church. So I'm going to read some quotes from a book and then we'll look into the Word of God and that will probably take us this week and next week to work through this. And then we'll be moving into more of the main portion of Paul's letter.

There are a couple of names or groups you have to be aware of. We live in a day when people want to give titles to something, so the traditionalist church, the emerging church, and I'm reading to you from the deep church which is a third way beyond the emerging and the traditional. All these ideas and thoughts of men and how the church is to operate. We have to begin with what is the church. Now what they mean in these titles, the traditional church that the emerging church and the deep church is reacting against, and they are very similar, emerging and deep.

The traditional church, that's us. They are those who believe that the Bible is the sole authority, we stand for its truth. They like names, they are (it sounds like I am belittling them, I guess I am), kids who want to give special names to everything. And so the traditional church is also foundationalist, or they are boundary set. And by foundationalist they mean they believe you have a firm, unchanging foundation that you are building upon, that you are standing upon and defending. Or you are boundary set, which simply means you are setting boundaries. This is truth, anything opposed to it is not truth. If you don't stand for this truth and submit to this truth, believe this truth, you can't be part of our church. So those are all that's involved in the traditional church

The emerging church which has risen these days, I think has connections and roots back to the church growth movement and some of them have connections back to Fuller Seminary and so on where that rudiment was popularized. We just keep going through a metamorphosis. The emerging church basically is a reaction against the traditional church and are primarily men who were raised in a traditional, fundamentalist church who preach the doctrines of Scripture, clear and firm, and we must stand for those and oppose any who disagree. They find themselves very uncomfortable with that, they don't like that. That excludes people, it sets boundaries that keeps people out. So they call themselves the emerging church, emergent, they are big on being careful you use the names right. I'm not that careful, I'll just be talking about the emerging church, whether you are an emergent village person, or whatever, the general group. So they are reacting against that.

And now we have the deep church and he really disagrees with the traditional church. In fact in his introduction he says, I don't know whether I'm emerging church or not, but he thinks he has some improvements on the emerging church. Let me just read you a couple of statements.

“I will demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of both groups, the emerging church and the traditional church. I will tell stories from the church I pastor and other churches like it as examples of how to live out deep church.” So the deep church supposedly is taking things from the traditional church, things from the emerging church, mixes them together and now we have the deep church. I think he is in deep trouble.

The traditional church is considered foundationalist because we believe we have the unchanging, settled foundation of the Word of God. What he does in the whole book is basically just his traveling around, interviewing and talking to people in the emerging church and pulling out ideas from them. So he asks one pastor of an emerging church, what is foundationalism? Here is what the response is for an emerging church pastor. You know, it's like child abuse. No one wants to be called a foundationalist. It has become a term of derision. Basically it is a quest for certainty. It is an attempt to justify one's belief, to build them on a foundation that can't be assailed. That's what we hold. We have a firm, unchanging foundation, the Word of God. It can't be added to, it can't be taken away from. He thinks it is like child abuse, it is a term of derision.

Foundationalism is the view that knowledge can be based on self-evident truths, that don't need any backing from religion or other external authority. That is knowledge that has invincible certainty. Emerging thinkers contend that foundationalism has infected the traditional church, shaped the view of preaching, leadership, community and church structure. It hasn't infected it, that's what the traditional church is. We believe that we don't need anything external, no religious authority. The Bible is certain and clear, it is the settled foundation, it is truth. Jesus said, your Word is truth, in His prayer to His Father in John 17. Anything that opposes truth is wrong, is error.

These are usually men, like I said, who grew up, as the testimony of the man who writes The Deep Church. Jim Belcher, in a fundamentalist, traditionalist church but they are just discontented with it. From what I can tell to a large extent they are young people who grew up in a Bible-believing church but never came to know the saving grace of Christ and so they are always bothered. All they could see is this is all rules and regulations and stifling. I want something freer and looser and more open, exciting and interesting.

They go on interviewing another emerging church pastor. Simply put the emerging church does not like the traditional church's insistence that belief must precede belonging. In other words you must believe in Jesus Christ, the truth of His Word, the truth of the Gospel before you can be a member of the church. Emerging church doesn't like that, they don't like that in the deep church, either. They don't think that believing should precede belonging. They turn it around and say, you belong and then down the road hopefully you may believe. Is it biblical to say you can belong to the church if you don't believe? You have to look at the Word of God on that.

Today's emerging culture, culture becomes the concerning thing. There is very, very little in the 230+ pages of the book The Deep Church by Jim Belcher, but there are just endless interviews with pastors and leaders, particularly in the emerging church movement. And they believe culture is the key. How do we relate to culture? How is culture involved in what we are as a church and what we are doing? In today's emerging culture persons will join a community before affirming beliefs in that community. In other words emerging culture places belonging before believing. He believes if you do it the other way, you set up fences, you exclude some people. We have set up doctrinal fences around our churches. Unless a person can subscribe, he or she is not welcome. He says that is not biblical. Find out what the Bible says about the church. Can you be a member of the church if you don't believe?

Here Belcher gives his own testimony. Up to this point, where he is giving some input in some of the classes he has taken, up to this point in my education I believed God was in the soul-saving business and everything else was going to burn up in the fire of judgment day. Christians were to save as many souls as possible. I don't know if I'd word it exactly that way, but Peter says, since all these things are going to be burned up, what sort of people ought you to be in all holy living. He says it was taught that we had forgotten the doctrine of creation, the church focused too much on individual salvation, evangelism and Christianity as a private affair. We were taught that the kingdom was a realm encompassing the area of God's creation, living under God's reign. Our goal is not only to help others into God's kingdom, but to help transform culture, the family, politics, arts, the marketplace, all aspects of creation. Now this was enlightening, now you see the church's ministry is not just carrying the Gospel to the lost and then nurturing those who come to salvation to maturity in Christ, we are to be transforming culture.

Now what he thinks we need to do, we need the Bible, that's good. We need the insights of the emerging church, but the emerging church, we are boundary set, we have set our theology on the basis of the foundation of the Word of God and that draws the lines for us. Because the emerging church is relational set. What the emerging church is saying is, some of the leaders—Brian McLaren and others, Rob Bells—that we don't get our theology from the Bible, we get it as we meet together as God's people and interact. And the Spirit of God brings truth out of the meeting of God's people. So that the authority of Scripture now is reduced to under the ideas of the people who claim to belong to God.

This man in the deep church is not comfortable with that so he says what we need is the Bible plus tradition. Some of you remember Fiddler on the Roof, they sing that song, tradition, tradition, tradition, tradition. That's what he thinks we need. The tradition of the Christian faith is that fundamental Christian identity for every believer no matter which of the traditions—Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox—he or she may profess. I couldn't quite make sense out of that statement. The tradition of the Christian faith is that fundamental Christian identity for every believer, no matter which of the traditions—Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox. Only the living tradition of the 4th and 5th centuries passed on through the ages can help us contextualize the Gospel in our worship without it becoming syncretistic or ossified over time. The deep church has attempted to root ourselves in tradition to avoid fadishness. Let's go back to the 4th and 5th century, that's what we need.

In fact that is so important, let me read on. At our church we attempt to hold the Bible, the tradition and our culture context intention, allowing them to form every part of our worship. So you see the Bible is not the sole authority. In fact tradition is over the Bible. In order to be faithful we must draw not only on Scripture, but tradition as well, keeping all three—the Bible, tradition and culture in mind, we are able to craft a worship gathering that is neither irrelevant nor syncretistic. And then he quotes from a well-known Tim Keller from New York who is part of this whole movement and believes culture explains the conflicts we have.

The combination of ancient and contemporary speaks to the post-modern desire for ancient roots and common history. We need tradition to help us interpret Scripture faithfully. Without this plumb line, tradition, we don't have the theological tools to remain faithful to Scripture. Without tradition as an outside marker, we have no way to know how far we have moved from biblical fidelity. You see what has happened. We don't have the ability to study Scripture and know for sure what it says. We have to go back to the 4th and 5th century. I spent a little time this week for my relaxation to read what some of the writers in the 4th and 5th century in the church had to say. They are not authoritative, they were on a drift by the 4th and 5th century. I like what Charles Spurgeon said, we don't need to go back to the church fathers, we need to go back to the church grandfathers—the apostles. We go back to Scripture, we don't go back to what someone thought in the 4th and 5th century. So they’re saying it's the Bible plus tradition plus culture. And now we have what works. There is a depth in the ancient church that is very up-to-date. The deeper we sink our roots into tradition, the entire GREAT tradition, the more resources we have for life today.

Originally when I started reading this book it was because when an evangelical church in town asked their staff what reflects where your church is, they said, read The Deep Church. That's where we are. Another evangelical church in town, people from there have come to see me. Their church got involved and influenced by people who thought we have to bring the tradition from men like D. H. Williams, since you have to go back to the ancient traditions. That church was eventually torn apart by people going to Roman Catholicism. Where do you stop? There is a church of tradition.

You know what it all does. It turns us away from the Word of God. Do you what these all do? They don't come to the Scripture to find out what is the church, let's resolve that first. These are the churches that are growing by multiplied thousands. They have men starting these churches and then in a few years having 10,000 people on Sunday. And then people are saying, the Lord must be blessing. God never called me to build His church. Jesus said, I will build My church. He builds His church.

Come to Acts, In the book of Acts on the first day of the church, the Day of Pentecost, we'll say more about that in a moment, you see what happens. Peter does nothing but stand up and preach the truth, the Gospel. Acts 2:36 as he concludes this sermon, he's talked about the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, showed it was prophesied in Old Testament Scriptures. Then he says in verse 37, “When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart.” The end of verse 39, “as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” Verse 39, “The promise is for you, your children, for all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” The intention is the church will be comprised of those that God calls to Himself.

You come down to the end of Acts 2:47, “and the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” You see who is building the church. It's not Peter. He is simply a servant of the living God, carrying out his responsibility of proclaiming the truth concerning Christ. Those who believe by the grace of God, they are brought in. God is adding to the number day by day. When we make it our determination, we must have more numbers. What could we do to get more people? To be more appealing? What kind of service do we have to have if believing is not necessary to belonging? So if we're going to add 500 unbelievers to sit in this service, what are we going to do to make them want to come and keep coming? We do things that then appeal to the flesh, appeal to fallen man because we determine what God is doing is not working. Serious matter.

We have to understand what the church is. We have a chart, put that up if you would on the screen. This is just drawn, it's one we did for the 70 weeks of Daniel. And my anticipation is we're going to start a study of the book of Daniel on Sunday nights. That's not a promise, not a prophecy, just my plan that may change between now and next week. But this is drawn from the 70 weeks of Daniel in Daniel 9. And you see how the church age fits into this. It's not part of God's plan revealed through the Old Testament for the nation Israel. From Genesis 12 where we record the call of Abraham and the Abrahamic Covenant through until Acts 2 God's focus in the world and His redemptive activity has centered in the nation Israel. The prophets came from Israel. The Word of God was given to the nation Israel. The covenants were made with the nation Israel. With the establishing of the church in Acts 2 we have the beginning of what is known as the church age. This is a period of time not revealed in Old Testament prophecy. It will conclude with the Rapture of the church, which will be followed by the 70th week of Daniel. Now we need to be clear, the church age (this period of time in which we are living) had not been revealed in the Old Testament. It's a matter to be revealed in the New Testament. It is just referred to a couple of times in the gospels—Matthew 16, Matthew 18—when Jesus said, I will build My church. But it wasn't there yet. It hadn't been revealed in its clarity and fullness. The Old Testament doesn't talk about the church. But it is revealed and it begins in Acts 2 and there will be a process of clarifying what God is doing.

In Acts 2, the Day of Pentecost, Jesus had promised, go back to Acts 1, in His last meeting with the disciples. He had told them in verse 5, “John baptized with water, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” And with that, verse 8, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, even to the remotest parts of the earth.” That's new information. The baptism of the Spirit has not yet occurred. These disciples spent three years with Jesus in ministry, healing the sick and so on, preaching the truth concerning Christ. But the baptism of the Spirit is still yet future and the special power that will come with that is yet future. Ten days later on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit comes, the baptism of the Spirit occurs for the first time in Acts 2. That's the starting of the church, the church did not exist before that. You have to be careful. You read material in the Old Testament, material in the Gospel, some of it is pertinent to us. It is all applicable in one way or another, but don't read the church back into that because the church is not there.

The evidence of being baptized with the Spirit was speaking in another language in Acts 2, as you are aware. Verse 6, “each of them was hearing them speak in his own language,” speaking in tongues. Glossa, the word tongue; lalia, the word to speak; glossalalia, speaking in tongues, speaking in another language. Nothing to do with the gibberish and muttering that is sometimes used today and called speaking in tongues. This was speaking in an earthly language. People knew and understood that it wasn't the normal language of the speaker.

Come over to Acts 10. In Acts 10 Peter is given a vision, eating of unclean animals sent from heaven and God tells him to eat. Peter says, I don't eat unclean food. He's a Jew, there are certain foods forbidden, we don't eat this. What God tells him in verse 15 after this is repeated, “What God has cleansed no longer consider unholy.” And the Spirit of God tells him three men are going to knock on your door, you go with them. So Peter comes to the house of a Gentile and the Gentile, Cornelius' house, has gathered family and friends so they can hear what Peter has to say. Verse 33, Peter tell them how he knew to send for Peter and so on. “Now then we are all here present before God to hear all you have been commanded by the Lord.” And so Peter begins to preach, share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the life of Christ, His death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead. Verse 39, the end of the verse, “they put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day, granted Him to become visible, not to all people but to witnesses. He ordered us to preach to the people, to solemnly testify this is the One who has been appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.” Now note this next statement, “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon those who were listening to the message.” The Jews, the circumcised believers here in verse 45, are amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the Gentiles. How did they know? Verse 46, “they were hearing them speak with tongues and exalting God.”

You see through the book of Acts it's not that everybody speaks in tongues, but speaking in tongues is an evidence that the Spirit had been given, because something new was happening. This has not happened before in Israel—the baptizing work of the Spirit. This is new truth being revealed, it had to be made clear to Peter by a special vision from heaven that he should go and preach to the Gentiles. You would think he would have been happy to go tell anyone who would listen about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But do you know what he told the household of Cornelius? I wouldn't have come here if God hadn't given me a special vision from heaven. That's amazing.

Now you know what else is amazing, and just note here, it's after they give evidence of having believed that Peter says they can be baptized. Baptism doesn't bring salvation, they already have the Spirit. He says now that they have placed their faith, the Spirit of God dwells in them, they can be baptized in public testimony of their faith in Christ.

Word gets back to Jerusalem, the leaders in Jerusalem and they heard the Gentiles had received the Word of God. You would think they would be ecstatic. They called Peter onto the carpet. Verse 3, “they took issue with him,” the end of verse 2. “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” You went to non-Jews who don't have circumcision as the sign of the covenant and ate with them. What do you think you were doing? These are believers, leaders in the church at Jerusalem. They don't understand at this point that God's plan reaches out beyond Israel because salvation was centered in Israel. Remember when Jesus came, the Gentile woman that came to Him and wanted a special miracle from Him? What did he say? It's not fit for Me to give the food for the children to dogs. Pretty harsh statement. Just making clear—I was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

This is a major change. Look around, we are evidence. There may be a few Jews sprinkled through here, but the bulk of us are Gentiles. This is something new in the work of God's salvation.

So Peter explained to them why he went, how he told the Lord no. I don't eat unholy things. Then he was told, “what God cleanses you don't call unholy.” That would indicate God is going to cleanse the unholy, defiled Gentiles. So unholy and defiled in the Jews' sight, we don't even go to their house, we don't eat with them. When God cleanses the most defiled person, they are cleansed. You better not call unclean one that God has cleansed and calls clean.

So he went on and then he told them, verse 15, “As I began to speak the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did on us at the beginning. And I remembered the Word of the Lord how He used to say, John baptized with water, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Therefore God gave the same gifts to them. How could I prevent it?” And then the Jews realized, God has granted to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.

That's the beginning of the church in the book of Acts, Acts 2. Now it has moved from Acts 8, Samaritans who were a mixed blood people of Jews and Gentiles and moves on to the Gentiles. They are total outsiders. The church is growing. Understand the church is unique. I say this because some of the views of the church get confused. Like the emerging church, they don't clearly understand the difference and it upsets them. We say the church begins here, it hadn't been revealed before.

Here is what one person says who attacks this idea. It is important that we emphasize that the plan of salvation did not come into the mind of God after the fall of man. That's true, we would agree with that. It was in His mind before the creation of the world, the plan of salvation was not conceived after the fall. There have been no readjustments in God's plan. We would agree with that. There have been no readjustments, still some have taught and still teach a notion of a series of readjustments in God's plan. And he is referring to dispensationalists. This is not an emerging church man; this is Martin Lloyd Jones that some of you have benefited from his writings.

They teach that God dealt with the children of Israel in an experimental or empirical manner, trying this and that, and when He found that one plan did not work, He tried another. For instance they say that God gave the Law to the children of Israel as a possible way of salvation, then when it did not work He began to give promises through the prophets that He would send a deliverer. I don't know of anybody who teaches that, no dispensationalist, but that's who he is referring to. This erroneous teaching is even carried further in the notes of a well-known edition of the Bible, he's referring to the Scofield Reference Bible, which does not hesitate to say that even when eventually God sent His Son into the world the plan had to be changed. The church had never been thought of before, it came in as an afterthought, a temporary expedient because the Jews had rejected the teaching of the kingdom and the offer of entry into the kingdom. The church and salvation through the death of Christ are a kind of improvision. Such notions are a complete denial of biblical teaching concerning the purpose of God conceived in eternity before the foundation of the world and creation of man. They represent the teaching which is known as dispensationalism.

That is dishonest. I appreciate much of what Martin Lloyd Jones stood for when preaching the Word. But you ought to read dispensational writings and represent them accurately. That's why I read to you from the book regarding the deep church. I don't want to just make up something that I say they believe. It is dishonest. I know of no dispensationalist who says the plan of God changed. The revelation that had not been made before is now made, but God had planned for the death of Christ in eternity past. He had planned for the church in eternity past. He did not reveal the church in eternity past, He did not make clear in the Old Testament that there would be a gap of 2000+ years between the first coming of Christ to earth and the Second Coming. That's why Peter himself said Old Testament prophets didn't understand how the Messiah could suffer and die and also rule and reign in glory. God didn't change His plan, He just hadn't revealed it all yet. Attacks that people give are dishonest. And I have read a number of these, some very recent writers.

So, keep in mind when we talk about the church age, it had not been revealed in the past. That does not mean it was not part of God's plan. It was not part of the plan that had been revealed. There is no change in God's plan. There is a change in the understanding, even of God's people, like Peter. He didn't understand the Gospel was going to the Gentiles, that they would be just as clean as believing Jews. That's not new to the plan of God, but it is new to the revelation of God's plan to man. At least we are clear on that.

The church is in operation. It is different, it is unique, it did not exist before. It is not correct hermeneutics, principles of interpretation, to read the church back into or to misuse passages from the Gospels as though they were talking about the church. Not that there aren't things that are applicable to the church. But the church is unique. It is God's work. Christ said, “I will build My church.” He is adding to the number, the believers. Down in Acts 11:18, “God has granted to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.” It is God's sovereign work. This comes up on other occasions, we looked at this through the book of Acts. It is God's sovereignty, He opens hearts to believe. He is building His church. I didn't come to Lincoln to build the church in that sense. I came to preach the Gospel and instruct believers. He builds the church. You share the Gospel. We're not building the kingdom, the church is not the kingdom. Major error that is repeated by a vast number of evangelicals—we are in the kingdom, we must be doing kingdom work, we are to change culture. No, we are to bring God's peace to the city by working with non-believers and changing the culture, as he says in his book. That is a misunderstanding of the church, what it is, how it is to function.

Come over to 1 Corinthians 1. We've talked about the problems that existed in the church at Corinth and we looked at a number of those through the church, but note what he says about the church at Corinth, verse 4. He is writing, verse 2, “to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling.” We'll talk more about that because that's before us in
2 Corinthians as well. He says in verse 4, “I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus.” They have been the recipients of God's grace, a grace that brought salvation to their sinful hearts so that they could be cleansed. That which is unholy becomes holy. It's that grace that enables and empowers them, that gifts them for service. “That in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you so that you are not lacking in any gift, waiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

This is a church that is complete. They had every gift they need. We need to understand something of the connection between the universal church and the local church. Not helpful to call it the invisible and the visible church because the universal church is visible in every local church. You note what he says about the church at Corinth here, “you are not lacking in any gift.” The consistent view of the New Testament of the church is that every local church is a complete entity. In that sense we are the church. It's not that you are a piece of the church, incomplete in yourself. Every local church that is a true New Testament church comprised of genuine believers established by God is complete in itself. That's why the devil works to complete, and this is what happened in the 4th and 5th centuries as men began to drift from the clarity of the Word and think they could have a greater impact on society. That's what we hear today. We ought to pull together. Then they misquote, misuse, misinterpret Jesus' statement about unity, that we all be one. That was fulfilled, that's clear.

So all believers are part of the universal church, the bride of Christ. But that doesn't mean the individual local church is an incomplete entity, or that we would be more effective if we joined together with other local churches. There is nothing to indicate that anywhere in the New Testament. We go to the seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3, they are all in the same vicinity. Usually viewed as that would have been the ancient postal route and the mailman, The Postman of Patmos, one of the books on the seven churches is as he went from church to church delivering the letters. Jesus never indicates that the church at Colossae is responsible for something at the church of Laodicea or at the church at Ephesus. Or that they should be doing something together, or the churches in this area ought to unite. Each church stands, fully responsible, fully accountable directly to the Lord of the church, Jesus Christ. Not denying our connection with other believers, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We note something of that when we visit another church. But the fact is, the church, the local church is complete in itself. Here is the church at Corinth—you are not lacking in any gift. “God's grace has enriched you,” verse 5, “in Him, in all speech and knowledge.” We have everything, we are everything that God intends us to be as His church.

So every local church is a manifestation of the universal church. It's not all there is to the universal church, but it is a clear manifestation of the universal church. That's why I say it's not an invisible church. That's why the New Testament knows nothing of a true believer who is not part of a true church. They go together because when you believe in Christ you are baptized into Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 12:13, verse 12 for the sentence. “Even as the body is one and yet has many members.” And he is comparing the spiritual body of Christ to our physical body. “All the members of the body though they are many are one body, so also is Christ,” the body of Christ. The church is the body of Christ. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member but many.” So how do you get into the body of Christ? The baptism of the Spirit. That's how the church began back in Acts 2. That was manifested when the Gentiles were coming in, in Acts 10. When you believed in Christ you were made part of the body of Christ. That's the body of Christ, that's the universal church. They don't have a problem with that. But what is the manifestation of the universal church? Some people say, I don't have to go to church to be a Christian. In the New Testament that's nonsense. If you are a member of the body of Christ, what is the manifestation of the body of Christ in the world today? It's the local church. Why do we gather together? Well, it's good to have some religious activity in your life and meet together. We do it because we're the body of Christ. We are placed into the body.

So you can distinguish the universal church from the local church, but you can't separate them. And I question when a person says, I don't go to church but I'm a believer. Something is wrong. What do you mean? Were you placed into the body of Christ? What is the manifestation of that body? It's like the New Testament knows nothing of an unbaptized believer, not because water baptism saves you but water baptism is a testimony before a watching world that you have placed your faith in Christ and experienced the baptism of the Spirit that identifies you with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. And now we declare before the world that we are followers of Christ.

You'll note while you are in 1 Corinthians 12 on the spiritual gifts. There are a variety of gifts, verses 4-6 you'll note variety and same. Varieties of gifts, same Spirit, verse 4; verse 5, varieties of ministry, same Lord; verse 6, varieties of effects, same God. “But to each one,” each individual believer “is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” And we've studied this and you are aware. When you are placed into the body of Christ by the Spirit, you are baptized by the Spirit, identified with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, you become a member of Christ's body. The Spirit of Christ now dwells in you and the manifestation of His indwelling presence is that spiritual gift, that enablement He gives you so that you can function as part of the body. That's a manifestation, verse 7, of the Spirit for the common good as he intended. We get the idea we are born into His family, whether I function or not that's optional, whether I feel like it or not. It's just like your physical body. Just not a pile of parts come out of the womb and we'll see how they fit together. No. Now over time the parts begin to work more efficiently together. Some may put little gloves or mittens on the hands of the baby so he doesn't scratch himself. Well you hope you don't have to do that when they're 20. You learn, but they are there and they will grow, and pretty soon they are learning to do it. They learn to crawl, they learn to get up, to walk. I sometimes watch housing programs and you see new mothers and they say, this house has stairs. I would be afraid for my kid. Don't be afraid. This is the body, it's not so difficult.

Each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. Verse 11, “one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” You see the sovereignty of God in this whole process. Verse 18, “Now God has placed the members each one of them in the body just as He desires.” What do we read in chapter 1? This just isn't a universal church truth. He says to the church at Corinth, you have all the gifts you need, you've been blessed with every necessary gift. That's true of our church. Well, if we all got together, think how much better it would be. That's the way the world does it. If your company was bigger and it was a multibillion-dollar company, that's better. Not the way God did it. So man establishes this organization, started back in the 4th and 5th centuries where we could have a better impact in the world and get more done if we would solidify the leadership. And pretty soon it's the bishop of Rome and he's in the most influential spot so he should have the most authority. And the corruption becomes universal. And now we have people writing and saying the evangelical church ought to go back to the 4th and 5th centuries and learn the great tradition. And then we can really understand the Bible. That is an affront to the Spirit of God who indwells everyone. You have no need for any man to teach you, the Holy Spirit is your teacher. We, as we gather here as the church complete, can understand and know and grow in the Word. As we function together as the body of Christ in this place, God has provided every gift necessary for us to accomplish everything He would have us accomplish. God's plan for the church is clear.

If we don't know what the church is, we're running around out here trying to come up with things the church ought to do. Let's first decide, what is the church? We're going to say more about that, and that you can't “belong” before you “believe.” Believing is the result of that work of the Spirit, is the result of His baptizing work, identifying you with the death, burial and resurrection. That places you into the body. A misunderstanding of what is a local church then opens the door. We oughtn't to have any boundaries. Unbelievers are welcome to come in and observe but they are not really a part of this body and as such they can't serve. Doesn't mean everyone who professes and does have a task is a believer. But the reality of it is you can't “belong” until you “believe.” How does the church even get confused by this? Why is the church going after this in droves? These men have built churches of multiplied thousands—10 to 15,000 people on a weekend. And then men like this and others of them—Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Jim Belcher, Francis Chan—they've left their church, they are just too popular. They just have to be traveling and speaking and doing conferences and writing books so everybody can benefit and have a church growing. And the devil corrupts the work of God. He is not against growing churches. He is against unbiblical churches of any size. And we want to be careful we are on track.

Let's pray. Thank You, Lord, for the truth of your Word; thank You, Lord, for bringing us together as Your church in this place. Thank You for other Bible believing churches across the city here, across the country and around the world. Lord, we want to be faithful to Your Word that You might be honored. We praise You in Christ's name, amen.