Last week we talked about being filled with the Spirit. The previous week Bear talked about true worship, that which is based on sacrificing myself because of the mercies of God. This week we want to talk about where God puts all this together -- in the church. What is the church? A church? It is more than a building. It is more than a required meeting. We define ourselves as, a family of believers learning to be a family through loving and worshiping God, loving and caring for His family, and loving and sharing Him with the world around us.

The word "ecclesiology" is the fancy word for the study of the church. I would like to introduce you to "ecclesiology" today, but in a practical way. I would like to talk about practical ecclesiology. Specifically, "what is the purpose of the church?" Or "how does God intend that the church function in our lives?" Let me get the discussion started with four purposes that I see in Romans 12.

It’s kind of surprising that anyone would have to teach us teamwork today. We have teams all over the place that show us the value of teamwork. Sports teams are so prevalent that almost every child learns the value of teamwork before their teen years. Car manufacturers demonstrate the value of teamwork, government agencies have seminars focusing on becoming a team. And yet, with all this, we tend to isolate ourselves and live our lives alone. Why? Perhaps because of the separating tendency of sin, perhaps because of pride, perhaps because of ignorance.

But one of the first things every believer needs to learn is that God is into teamwork. In fact, God primarily works with teams. Jesus Himself didn’t work alone, but developed a team of 12 disciples.

The third command in this section is the one that prepares us for teamwork. It says, "don’t think of yourself more highly than you ought to think" (verse 3). Why? Because there are many of us in one body (verse 4). We need to realize that God is working with many people, and get over our self-centered, exaggerated sense of our own importance. And where does that take place? In the church.

Two weeks ago Bernt King emphasized verse one – "worship of God involves turning your entire self over to God in thanksgiving." Last week we emphasized verse two – the power that enables us to be transformed from instead of conformed to the world comes from the Holy Spirit. Today we listen to verse three, and the remaining verses of this chapter – the nourishment, guidance, and education we are going to receive from God is going to come from others who we grow to love and live with.

God’s goal works out in our lives as we get connected with other believers, as we spend time with them, develop common interests, and learn to love and serve one another. The tragedy is that sometimes this common interest with others occurs more in a bar than in a church. Keith Miller makes this statement: "The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship Christ wants to give His church. It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality, but it is a permissive, accepting and inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable. It is democratic. You can tell people secrets and they usually don’t tell others or even want to. The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, and so many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers."

"With all my heart I believe that Christ wants his church to be . . . a fellowship where people can come in and say, ‘I’m sunk!’ ‘I’m beat!’ ‘I’ve had it!’ Alcoholics Anonymous has this quality. Our churches too often miss it" (From TTOC, 92).

Have you noticed how God has designed several "institutions" in our lives to help rescue us from our destructive tendency toward selfishness? Marriage, for example. What usually happens when you get married? The institution becomes a 24-7 education into your own self-centeredness. In order to live with your mate, you have to repeatedly yield and submit, and re-analyze how important your desires are. Children come along. God says that children are a heritage from Him. What do they teach us? How self-centered we are. If you want a present testimony of the change that occurs here, check with David and Becky Kellner. They have had two weeks of experience with their new baby.

In His genius, God has designed that we get married, have children, raise a family, all for the benefit of the family and mankind, but also for the benefit of us as well. The institution is an education into our own importance – or lack thereof.

In the same way the church of Jesus Christ is essential to our growth in Grace. In the church I meet and work with people more talented than I am, more educated in areas than I am, more advanced in their walk with Christ than I am. They encourage me, they instruct me, they give me examples to follow, and I personally find, as your pastor, that they make me enthusiastic over the whole program of Christianity! What an amazing institution God has designed! To take people who are all making mistakes, who are all in the learning mode of living together on a team, and bless and use them not only to help one another but to spread God’s Glory at the same time!

One of the dangers today is that people think that they can grow in Christ apart from the local church. They see themselves as one to One with God with no need for other human beings. They don’t understand God’s plan of ministering to us through others. Do you remember the story of the man in the flood who was on the roof of his house, praying fervently that God would rescue him? A boat came by and called out for him to jump in, but he said, "no," he was waiting for God to rescue him. A helicopter flew down and let down a line, but he was waiting for God to rescue him. He finally drowns in the flood and wakes up in heaven and asks God why He didn’t rescue him. And God said, "I answered your prayer by sending the boat and the helicopter, but you wouldn’t get in." That story is a picture of the method God normally uses to mediate His blessings. He brings them to us through others in the body.

Norman Cousin’s wrote a book entitled Head First: the Biology of Hope, and argues that our physical bodies have the capability to heal themselves. For example, he says, suppose you cut your fingernail. What does the body do? It delivers porcelain-type cells that can be converted at that site into a substance with [rigid] qualities. The head directs the transfer of cells to the fingernail area so that the necessary repairs can be manufactured. Think of what your body manufacturers. It manufactures silklike strands (like your hair), flexible and stretchable sheathing (like your skin), ivorylike substances (like your teeth), prisms that can contract or expand in order to deal with ranges of light intensity (in your eyes); solid structures for supporting weight and facilitating locomotion (your bones). "All these [different] substances are not delivered whole from a distant source but are manufactured on site. They are regulated from a central switchboard in the brain that is able to call upon the body’s pharmacy to supply the chemicals that can be converted into the wide array of specific substances that give the human body its structural and functional characteristics" (123). In other words, the repair of your fingernail is carried on right there in your finger. Is your finger smart enough to put together the required materials to do the job? Of course not, but the brain is, even without our help. And the brain calls on other parts of the body to supply the materials.

Now suppose that I am the fingernail in the body of Christ. And I crack under pressure and I need some help. Where is the help going to come from? It is going to come from God; it is going to come through the Head Who is Jesus Christ. But it is going to come from the other body parts around me. But suppose (for purposes of illustration) that I am not connected to any of those body parts — I’m not interested in them; I don’t see the value of spending time with "church members."

What happens? I may not get fixed by God! Even though I pray to God and plead with Him to repair my "crack." Why? It’s not because the materials are not being delivered; it’s because I am not plugged in to God’s delivery system.

The church functions as God’s UPS. God answers prayers through "brown," a spiritual brown, meaning through the people around you. That’s why each one of us needs to be connected, needs to learn teamwork. It’s for our own good.

II. One of the purposes of the church is to teach us to USE our unique gift. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Every believer has been given a gift by God. And verse six says that each of us has a different gift. And we have been given that gift to use for the benefit of others. In fact, sharing your gift with others is an essential part of growing up. The church is the place where you learn to share your talents.

It’s one thing to say that; it is another thing to do it, especially if you are not sure what your gift is, and you are not sure that you can do anything useful. But the command, which is repeated eight times is, "use your gift." Are you doing that?

I spent some time with a missionary named Gene Jordan. He was an excellent musician, concert grade musician. He could bring you to tears with his violin. So sensitive, so moving. But he responded like no musician I had ever seen up to that time. Usually good musicians have some sort of expectation of respect. They want people to quiet down and listen to their gift. They want a little focus on themselves as they share their talent.

None of that was in Gene Jordan. His sole goal was to encourage everyone else with whatever he had. There would be congregational singing, and Gene would make that violin as loud and lively as he could to encourage congregational singing. I remember a woman singing a solo one day and Gene picks up his violin and adds an alto part that was spectacular. Everyone who played an instrument or sang that ever was connected to him was always encouraged no matter how poorly they performed. He placed hope in every musician’s life. He was so excited and in awe of the gift of music that if you had a spark of capability in you, he saw you as blessed with a treasure.

I think Gene Jordan has passed on, but his testimony remains of using his gift, with enthusiasm, to serve Jesus Christ by encouraging everyone else to serve Jesus Christ. This is how the team GROWS. Each member ministers the gift God has sovereignly given, not only to bless the others, but also to encourage the others to do the same thing. If you are sitting on the sidelines, you are limiting your growth in Christ. Find your gift and use it.

Friday, I ate lunch with Steve Waskiecz, and learned how to count carbohydrates. Since he is diabetic, he uses an insulin pump, and pumps in an amount of insulin for any excess carbohydrates. It was an education for me. I was thinking as I left how God allows people to suffer with difficulties like that to inform the rest of how magnificent His works are. Imagine what life would be like if we had to manually regulate all of our systems. You had to regulate your body temperature, and your metabolism, and your liver and pancreas, and kidneys. You wouldn’t have time for anything else. God has done a similar thing with His spiritual body -- given people to the body to make all kinds of unique contributions. What happens when some sit on the sidelines? The body is handicapped — like a body without an eye, or a body without a hand, or a body that needs manual control of the kidneys. What it means is that everyone else in the body has to compensate for the missing one. What a difference when everyone is contributing what they were designed to contribute!

III. One of the purposes of the Church is to teach us to LOVE living with others. Look at all these directions. I count 14 commands in these 8 verses. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

These verses give directions for living in a family. Paul is not just saying here, "get along." He is not only saying, "become a part of family life." He is saying ENJOY FAMILY LIFE! One of the ways we know that someone has gotten hold of a subject like math, is when they enjoy it, and are enthusiastic about it. The same is true in church. When people act like they are going to the dentist at 9AM Sunday morning, you know that they don’t get it. They don’t understand family life. They probably haven’t met their brothers and sisters yet in any serious way.

Look at the enthusiasm in these verses:

(1) - Let love be without hypocrisy (9) Love genuinely, don’t just put on a fake happy face.

(2) - Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good" Scream at what is evil. Treat it like SARS; treat it like mice in your ceiling. Cling to what is good; "Epoxy" yourself to what is right. Don’t be passive, by just nodding at it.

(3) - Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love (10) — brotherly love enjoys people and wants to be around others. It values and honors them. Attach yourselves to one another with brotherly love.

(4) - in honor giving preference to one another

"Honor" means to put a price on someone and thus to value them. Don’t treat them as just another person. HONOR them. They are SPECIAL. "Giving preference" means to let them go first by placing their needs first.

(5) - not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord (11)

"Not lagging" means not "sluggish," not "passive," not "hesitant." The command is to protect your enthusiasm. Don’t lose your enthusiasm. Don’t get lazy and casual about the things God is doing around you.

Instead, be "fervent" which means "boiling" in spirit. Live with a fire and a purpose in your heart — to serve the LORD. Have you noticed how quickly the fire goes out in your soul? Or at least is quenched? Family life depends on passionate people, not the sluggish, passive type. The first commandment says, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy soul, all thy strength." It takes enthusiasm to get all of yourself to do anything. You have to work on all your lazy parts to introduce them to the vision and get them up and out. Verse 11 is commanding us to get all our parts collected and working together to "serve the Lord."

The command is not just to "have hope," but to "rejoice" in hope. There is an excitement generated by the hope God has given us. Elizabeth Elliot reports that she has heard it said that nobody has ever committed suicide with a lottery ticket in his pocket. The lottery ticket speaks of hope, no matter how small, no matter how stupid. As long as there is some glimmer of hope, there is no valid reason to check out of life.

Our hope is far greater than a lottery stub. We are the children of God; we are the bride of Christ. In what other location are we going to find this hope today? Do we get much hope from the TV? Only in the church, only in God’s family do we find the emphasis on the hope we have in Christ. Very few other locations in the world teach that hope. And Paul is commanding us not only to know and understand the hope we have in Christ, but to get excited about it and rejoice!

(7) - patient in tribulation — Things are not working right. The hope is not here yet, but you are waiting, patiently. The truth that strengthens us when things are difficult is the fact that God is at work to actively direct all things for good.

(8) - continuing steadfastly in prayer — repeatedly, every day focusing on prayer.

(9) - distributing to the needs of the saints (13)

Your needs are LESS important than those around you. Make yourself a partner to those in need.

(10) - given to hospitality

"Hospitality" is ministering to those who need lodging. "Given" describes an enthusiasm, an attitude of eagerness, "practice hospitality gladly." Invite people into your home; plan to open your doors to others.

(11) - Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse (14)

Increase your circle of friends to include obnoxious people -- to include those that would normally be called your enemies. "Bless" means "to speak well, to eulogize," to talk them UP rather than down. The opposite word, "curse," does not mean profanity (cussing the person out) as much as calling down divine curses upon a person, by wishing bad things upon him/her; speaking to or of him or her in a bad light.

(12) - Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (15)

Join in the emotional extremes of other peoples’ lives. It’s normally at these times that we don’t know what to say. And so we watch them. No, Paul says, "JOIN THEM." Did they just receive a promotion at work with double pay? Don’t respond with jealousy, saying, "that never happens to me." It just happened to you; they are part of your team; your team has just been promoted!!

In our physical bodies, "If one member suffers, all members suffer with it; if one member is honored, every part rejoices with it" (I Cor 12:26). God intends His family to function in a similar way.

"Think the same thing with respect to one another." Get on board with others, join the church, the project, the vision, and contribute. It’s like saying to two parents who are fighting, "hey, you have seven children; you are trying to grow a family; quit the fighting, humble yourself, and work together." What rescues a marriage, is marriage — the project. What rescues a family is the family — the project of becoming a family.

(14) - Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. This command is very similar to verse three: stop being infatuated with yourself. Don’t harbor the delusions of grandeur that enter your mind. Proud people can’t develop a family. You can’t build a team out of people who think they are superstars. Instead, join the lowly. The word "associate" is the word to be "carried away." "Get carried away with the lowly," instead of getting carried away with your own importance. Make as your hero one of the lowly people. Forget the big names; choose the people in the trenches of life that everyone else overlooks.

Are you still with me? Isn’t that an awesome list? I think that every one of these directives is life-changing. These are commands that make a team light up. Here’s how we serve the Lord. Here’s what church is all about. We don’t serve God by building huge edifices with His name engraved on the walls -- "to the glory of God." "God does not dwell in buildings made with man’s hands," Stephen said in Acts 7. We don’t glorify God by the size of our budget, or choir, or even by the number of people here. God dwells among a body of people who are enthusiastic about these 14 directions. Every time you say, "I’m going to do it this way instead of my way," you serve the Lord.

Do you see the theme in these directions? The purpose of a church is to help us learn to LOVE living with others! Serving God means getting excited about others around me. Look around you this morning. These people sitting around you are God’s chosen for you. They are God’s gift to you, His family. You have the privilege of joining with them to serve God. They will revolutionize your life. Are you excited about your privilege here?

Families are FULL of conflicts. Why? Why are dinners not quiet and peaceful at your house? Why are Sunday mornings so difficult? It’s in the conflict that you learn to be a peace-maker. You can’t learn to be a peace-maker when there are no conflicts to practice on. The church is our practice-field.

17 "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 20 Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

There are six directives here that teach us how to become peace-makers.

Don’t repay for evil — WAIT. Everyone has a built-in payback system. Get rid of yours. Dump it, trash it. You are not the judge when it comes to equalizing offenses. NEVER, ever, pay back evil. Instead, specialize in what is "good, right, and honest."

"Forgiveness is surrendering my right to hurt you for hurting me" (Archibald Hart). Once President Lincoln was asked how he was going to treat the rebellious Southerners when they had finally been defeated and returned to the Union of the United States. The questioner expected that Lincoln would take a dire vengeance, but he answered, "I will treat them as if they had never been away." That is forgiveness on a national scale (William Barclay, quoted from TTTO, 217).

Do what is right and honorable — even if no one else is

Live at peace — you can’t live at peace until you can forgive people for their un-peaceful actions. Any conflict should be their fault, not yours.

Don’t avenge yourselves. Never take your own revenge. Even when you are terribly wronged, you can’t take the law into your own hands. That privilege is God’s alone. To "give place to wrath" (19) means to leave room for God to do His work in His time, not to take it out of His hands and execute my own wrath. God will take care of payments for wrongs. Let Him do it.

Instead, feed your enemy, give him to drink. Rather than revenge, you are to meet your enemies real needs. Repay all evil by lavishing kindness and love (and investing your own money and time to do it).

Do not be overcome by evil (by repaying them back, and back), but overcome evil with good. This is the incredible possibility, that no one in this world has ever seen, that your gracious response can overcome your enemy’s evil actions. The one doing you wrong wants to get at you, but you, with love, can "fight back" with superior weapons! You can Overcome Evil with GOOD. Defeat evil with good!

Where do we learn this ability to fight back with superior weapons? Very few places in life. But that’s the purpose of the church, to help us learn. And that’s one of the reasons why we have so many conflicts and problems in the church.

Notice how STRONG and PASSIONATE these commands are. PASSIVE, CASUAL, LAZY, FAMILY MEMBERS DO NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF THE FAMILY (or glorify the Father). FAMILY LIFE TAKES FERVOR!

What is your attitude toward God’s marvelous creation, the church? Here is the stage on which God intends we learn team work; here is the body that we complete by learning to share our own gift; here is the family that we learn to love to live in; and here is the problem that we learn to solve. Are you in? Are you involved? Are you committed? This is why you need to join BBC. Or if not BBC, you need to join a church.

6/8/03, BBC am

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