- Ephesians 4 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
What
is the church to be like?
Who
is the church?
How
is it meant to function?
What
does God say about the church, its function, purpose and mission?
It
is like a restaurant and we're the samples.
It's
like a bakery and the smell of fresh bread is going out into the community and
people are lured into, wooed into the smell and come to it.
Think
about it that way. Like a good restaurant, that food smells so good, and then
it makes you hungry. It awakens senses in you that make you think like
"hmmm, that smells so good!!!"
Even
if you already ate, it awakens your hunger and you appetite.
Or
when you are at a mall and go through the food court and there are all these
restaurants offering samples, you taste it and if it is good then you make your
decision based on that.
We
in the church are being taught, trained and equipped to be God's samples in the
world.
When
the people smell us, taste from our lives, our testimony, our experience and
they see what God is doing, the peace, love, kindness, forgiveness, generosity,
rest, etc. they will then become curious, it will wet their appetite and then
we can tell them, "hey, if you like the sample, come in for the full
meal…we have a special…all you can eat for free!!!"
But
we cannot do that if we, the samples, are not tasty, yummy, well cooked and
healthy. Imagine that we are samples but because of the way we live our lives
and live out our spirituality, we look rotten, smell bad, undercooked
(immature, judging, self-rigtheouss, etc.), moldy, cold, or just plain
disgusting!!!
We
ought to understand what our role is and how God wants us to live it out.
As
samples of God's abundant life and forgiveness and hope, we ought to look
appetizing to a needy world. They're hungry, but they're going after junk food.
We have the meats!!! (ARBY's)
The
church (as in the true representation of the body of Christ) is the restaurant
where all this good food is available. It is the kingdom of God expressed here
on earth. The church is to be the sample, the representation of what the
kingdom of God looks like!
Righteousness,
peace, joy in the Holy Ghost. That's the Kingdom of God!!!
So,
a few questions about the church
We are to equip the saints
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the
church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and
teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s
people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This
will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of
God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and
complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like
children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We
will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they
sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the
truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head
of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit
together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other
parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
We are to live out the kingdom of God through our everyday lives
(individually in our everyday walk)
We are to live in community and fellowship together as a witness
to the world (corporately as a body)
So,
how do you see church?
What
do you see your role in the church is?
How
is who you are and who God made you to play a role in the equipping of the
saints and the reaching out to others?
How
we can make sure we're following God as we grow together?
If
we're to make disciples and grow, how do you see that happening?
Programs?
More Bible studies?
How
about your part, your role?? Teaching? Leading Bible studies? Children? Youth?
Music? Art? Media?
Community
service?
Think
about these things!!!!
Religion
telling what to do - jesus teaching you who to be
Religion
doing behavior modification - jesus transforming your heart - to change your
desires and passions
Religion
shaming us for our past - jesus redeeming us from it!
Organization
wanting your money - God wanting your heart
Not
turning a blind eye to the world but opening our eyes to the hope he wants to
bring to it
Religion
forcing you to follow rules - Jesus asking you to follow Him
Religion
putting you into a mold - Jesus continually shaping and molding and forming you
into who He designed you to be
Not
a place, but people
Not
a building, but a kingdom here on earth
Not
controlling us but setting us free!
It
is about righteousness, just not self-righteousness!
Not
about denominations but putting Christ at the head of all things!
Not
an exclusive club but an inclusive family
Not
about a day of the week, but everyday of our lives
Not
about proving yourself, but knowing the one who's been proved and who's
approved us!
Not
about getting all questions answered, but the freedom to ask them
Not
about proving your point, but pointing to a Savior
