Last week, we discussed what "the church" is, and came to the conclusion that "the church" is made up of people (not a building) and specifically all people who have faith in Jesus. So this week we began thinking about what it is that "the church" exists to do, or in other words, what's the purpose of "the church"?
We explored several possible purposes, but this week spent time talking about one in particular, namely growth. Our scripture lesson Matthew 28:16-20, also known as The Great Commission, recounts Jesus' last words to his disciples. Those final words of Christ were essentially telling the disciples to recruit new members, or in more churchy language, to make disciples of all nations. Now we have another churchish word for making disciples, and that word is evangelism. It seems fancy, but really the word just means to share good news. So as those who have faith in Jesus (or the church) we are called to share good news with others.
The next question we explored was what exactly is that good news? We decided the good news that we are called to share was not that our church gets out 5 minutes earlier than others, but rather had something to do with our other scripture lesson Romans 6:1-11. In case you struggle with reading the Apostle Paul's writing, (like the Apostle Peter did) essentially the good news has to do with forgiveness and freedom from sin and victory over death which leads to life everlasting. Needless to say it's good times for all who are willing to accept it. Armed with such good news, we are called to share it with everyone!
Finally we discussed how one might go about sharing this good news and decided there are three main ways: words, actions, and relationships. With words we share the good news by what we say. With actions we endeavor to share the good news with our lifestyle. With relationships we share the good news with those that we have established relationships with (ie friends, relatives, etc). I suggested that a balanced approach is best, using our words, actions, and having a pre-existing relationship with the person with whom we are sharing the good news. I essentially explained evangelism (that churchish word from above) like this: I have a new baby son, would you rather A) hear me talk about him for 2 hours, B) look at pictures of him for 2 hours, or C) hold him and talk to him yourself for 2 hours? The answer of course is (C)! The same is true with evangelism (sharing the good news of Jesus).
If we merely talk to people about Jesus, but don't back that up with our actions, our words will have no credibility. If we only live good lives, but never share our good news with words, people will be hard pressed to hear the good news at all. If we only use words and actions, but have no real relationship with those with whom we are sharing the good news, then our words and actions are likely to be received wrongly or at best with skepticism. Our best chance at getting our good news heard, is through all three (words, actions, and relationships).
So in summary, all who have faith in christ are "the church" and as the church one primary function we have is to grow by sharing the good news about Jesus with others. In order to be effective in this sharing we need to combine words with actions and also with real, sincere relationships with those we are sharing the good news with.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
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