First, let me say this is more of an overview of the church. Over the next few Sundays, I will be preaching sermons on the church and different aspects of the church from a biblical perspective. This will include the origin of the Church…the missional nature of the church for today.  But we will be talking about the different metaphors the bible uses to describe the church in this series. I thought this might be a good series as we take our first steps as a new church start and move toward our membership Sunday coming up on November 17th.

I am using this passage today to identify the beginning and foundation of the church as indicated by Jesus particularly in his statement, upon this rock I will build my church.  Two words in this statement I want to emphasize.  First, he said:

Upon this ROCK I will build my church

Now most of us know there has been debate and even division in the universal church over the meaning of “upon this rock I will build my church.”  Who or what is the rock?  We know our Catholic friends believe the rock was Peter and then the historic succession of Popes that followed from Peter.  And it is interesting to note in the original language Peter’s name is “Petros” which is the word for “rock”.  The word Jesus used for rock in this statement is “petra” which means a large stone.  So, Protestants as we in the Wesleyan tradition and the Global Methodist Church, believe the rock referred to is not Peter but more importantly, the confession of Peter that Jesus is indeed the Christ. And further, this confession then become the rock or foundation of the Church.  Needless to say, this is a very significant statement because with it Jesus initiated the church and identified the true foundation of the church.  It was the first time it appears in the gospel.   And speaking of rocks or stones, Ephesians uses this same imagery.  It reads, “You also as living stones are built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  For this is contained in scriptures, behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone and he who believes in him will not be disappointed.” (Ephesians 2:19-22, I Peter 2:5).  And the key idea portrayed is that Jesus is the Stone/Rock around which the whole church is established.  It is upon Christ that the Church stands.  On Christ the solid Rock I stand…all other ground is sinking sand!

So this is a very pivotal scripture including the confession of Christ by Peter as it serves as the foundation of every who becomes a part of the church. In essence, everyone in the church must confess Christ as our Savior and Lord as Peter did.  Down through history to our church today, before we become a member of the church, we repent of our sins and confess Christ as our Savior are baptized and initiated into the church community.

So today we often call this a “profession of faith”.  When people make decision to follow Christ and repent of their sins and confess Jesus as their Savior…this is the initiation of our place in the church.   I pray every one of us here today have made their own confession of faith in Christ and Savior and Lord. Philippians reminds us that every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5-11).

The other part of this statement is:  Jesus said, “I will build MY church.”   The emphasis here is on MY Church. The church ultimately belongs to Christ.  It is purchased by his blood.  In the words of the great hymn, The Church’s One Foundation meaningfully relay this truth, “From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride.  And with his blood he bought her. And for her life he died.”  We remember and celebrate this today with Holy Communion as we remember Christ body given for us and His blood shed for us.  And without His sacrifice there is no forgiveness, no salvation and no Church!

Several years ago, at a previous appointment I was hard at work in the study preparing for a sermon and I heard the pitter patter of little feet coming into the study where I was and there was my daughter.  She was about in the first grade at the time. She looked at me as my nose was buried in the text and was engrossed in the preparation for Sunday’s sermon. And she looked up at me wide-eyed and asked, “Daddy, do you own the church?”   And I put that in the category of, “Something that a child might ask but not a childish question.”  Every time I make a visit or attend a funeral or preside over a wedding or celebrate a baptism or go to a fellowship meal, that question comes back to me.   I know that whatever I do and whatever we do in the church is a simple act of servant stewardship under the Lordship of Christ.

Whatever building and resources we may attain, the real church is the people of God who have made their own confession of Christ as Savior and Lord and then belong to Christ.  I want you to note the word “belong” to Christ.  It is not just that we “believe in Christ”.  It is much deeper in relationship; we belong to Christ.

Paul writes early in the book of Romans and says that we are called to belong to Christ  Romans 1:6.  Again, this relays an understanding of our relationship with Christ that is much deeper than a nominal belief.  In marriage, I might often say that I belong to my wife Beth.  Each of us belong to each other as husband and wife in marriage.  In like manner we are called to belong to Christ and have no other Lord but Him.   Of course, marriage is another great metaphor for the Church as the Bride of Christ which we hope to talk about in another upcoming sermon.   But this relates more closely when Jesus said upon this rock, I will build MY church.  In the church we first and foremost belong to Christ.   Jesus is the rightful owner.  He is the author and finisher of our faith and of the people who make up the church.   Sometimes the church may struggle, and we have been through some church struggles!! And normally the church struggles when we fail to acknowledge the real ownership of the Church is in Christ.  But we all must acknowledge that Christ is the head, the Lord of the church.  And when we pray as we pray every Sunday, “Your will be done on earth in this church as it is in heaven”, we are submitting to the Lordship of Christ putting His will above our own will.  We are acknowledging that it is Christ’s church, not our church.

I should also note here that we are talking about the church universal here of which 5 Rivers would be a part.

We say every Sunday in the Apostle’s Creed:  we believe in the holy catholic church.  The catholic church simply means we believe in the universal/global church involving all people who have made the confession that Peter made here.  This is not the Roman Catholic Church but the church universal.  We are a Global Methodist Church.  In our General Conference just held in Costa Rica, bishops were elected from different parts of the world to emphasize the reality that God has called people in the universal church from all over the world.  It is amazing to see how the gospel has spread all over the globe as we fulfill the mission of Jesus!

So, this leads to the purpose or mission of the Church.  Why are we here?  Why did Jesus establish the Church?

Let me put it is more localized terms.  A common question that is often asked: Is the church a country club for saints or a hospital for sinners?  Now I would imagine if I asked you to raise your hand if you identify more as a sinner or a saint, most of you would probably raise your hand identifying as a sinner. No worries, I am not going to ask anyone to raise their hand today!  But very interestingly when Paul wrote to at least 6 churches in the NT, he identified them as “saints”.  He didn’t write… To the sinners at Rome or to the sinners at Ephesus. No!  He termed them “saints”.  The term he used most basically means people who have been separated out from the world for God’s purpose.  Matter of fact the term used for the church is the word ecclesiology.  This term comes from the Greek word ecclesia which means “called out”.   Peter reminds us in his letter in the NT that we have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light.  We have been separated out from the world to bear witness to the saving work of Christ.  This does not give us special privilege, rather it places on us special responsibility.  We have been called out or separated out for a purpose, indeed, to fulfill Christ’s mission on the earth.  And what is this mission?  And we come to particularly talk about our denomination, the Global Methodist Church, but even more importantly what the scriptures tell us about our mission.  First,

To Make Disciples of Jesus Christ

Our GMC mission statement is: To worship passionately, love extravagantly and witness boldly.   But all these statements and actions are done within the mission of making disciples for Christ. Local churches and extension ministries of the Church provide the most significant arenas through which disciple-making occurs.

Our local church here at 5 Rivers falls under that same mission although we may have a more personal mission. In this regard everything we do should be to accomplish our mission.  As you investigate the scriptures there is a very clear mandate regarding our mission. And where does this mission come from? The right answer is always JESUS, right?  Before Jesus ascended back to the Father, He gave the disciples a clear mission.  It is found in the last part of the gospels of Matthew and Mark.  Here is what it reads:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20).

“And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

These passages often referred to as the Great Commission, were among Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples before He ascended to Heaven. Mark’s gospel refers to Christ’s command for his followers to “go preach the gospel to the world,” while Matthew’s reflects His emphasis for the church “to go and make disciples of all nations.” The combination of these two elements, evangelism and discipleship, are generally considered as Christ’s primary mission for His church. “Evangelism” is the ministry of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ that will bring people into fellowship with God, while “Discipleship” is the training of believers to become disciplined followers of Jesus and His principles.

The mission of the church is a continuation of Christ’s earthly ministry (John 14:12). Jesus viewed that redeeming humanity was His whole purpose for coming to the earth.

“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost” (Matt. 18:11). And in turn, He imparted this same objective to His disciples. He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19).

The Apostle Paul later confirmed that the ministry of bringing people to God has been imparted to all those who have been brought to Him (the church). He wrote, “God… has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18). It is the purpose of every believer, not only pastors and clergymen, to bring people to Jesus Christ.

Wesley declared to those who were preachers, but I think this applies to the church:

You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore, spend and be spent in this work. And go always, not only to those that want you, but to those that want you most.

While we were on our family trip, we were at a nice hotel at Cape Canaveral.  They had a lazy river and then a higher water slide that went up about 3 stories.  I decided along with my much younger cousin that I was going to go down the slide.  I climbed up the stairs and was very shaky when I reached the top.  I got down on my backside to initiate the slide and there were 6 turns in the slide, and it emptied into a catch pool about 4 feet deep.  I went down that slide like a bullet through a gun, I was going so fast I thought I was going to come over the  little wall of the tube on the 3rd turn.  I just kept my head back and finally made it to last turn and was breathing a sigh of relief before I hit the collecting pool. I tried to raise my head up out of the water…but I couldn’t get up!  I tried again to get up and hit the bottom of the pool!  I tried again and hit the bottom of the pool.  And I panicked because I was running out of oxygen.  I felt a little like Fred Sanford…this is it Lord! I’m going to drown in 4 feet of water! I tried again to get up but I couldn’t get up! Then suddenly, a hand reached out to me and helped me to the surface. I was so glad to be breathing the air!!  This young lady name Anna had come to my rescue.  She might have weighed a hundred pounds, but she helped lift my large frame out of the water.  I COULD JUST READ THE HEADLINES.  PASTOR DROWNS IN 4 FEET OF WATER!  But no, what will never make the headlines is a young lady saves a drowning man.  Friends, I am simply glad to be here today.  But this was such a sobering experience.  And it reminded me again, about our task as a church.  Rescue the perishing, care for the dying.  Jesus is merciful…Jesus can save.  If that petite, small young lady could save me…surely God can use us for his greater mission… nothing to do but save souls… This has such a profound spiritual meaning: Each of us are here today…because a hand reached out to lift you up when you were powerless to do anything to save yourself.  Think about that for a moment.  I have to believe that our presence here as the people of God is not by accident, but that God puts us in places, indeed He has called us for this purpose, to be his redeeming agents in our world.

Who might God be placing in your path that needs your hands to help lift them to the Lord?

Think about this as we come to Holy Communion today…

I will continue preaching on aspects of the church as we move through October!  Stay tuned!