Moving at the Speed of Church

Moving at the Speed of Church
Matthew 16: 13 – 20 and Ephesians 4: 11 – 13.

I. Introduction.

In this week’s edition of the Baptist Standard, there are a series of articles on the various ways Baptist churches make decisions. Traditionally, Baptists have organized around committees and regular business meetings. This committee structure is a natural by product of one of our historical Baptist view of the Priesthood of All Believers.

We believe all Christians are priests before God. As priests, each Christian has access to God as well as the responsibility to serve God. Baptists do not recognize a special class of priests who have more and better access to God or even more and better responsibilities to serve God. Rather, we believe God gives his Holy Spirit to all believers—men and women, clergy and laity. Therefore, all Christians can pray to God without a priestly mediator; all Christians can hear God speak to us through his Word; and all Christians have the responsibility to serve God in the church.

For these reasons, the traditional Baptist church places leadership responsibilities on every member of the church. Church members serve on committees, which provide leadership and direction to the church body. In our context, we have four primary committees that we call trustees. Our board of trustees consists of a finance committee, a personnel committee, a long range planning committee and a building and grounds committee. These committees meet at least once a month to discuss the business and financial matters of the church. However, every decision the board of trustees make has to be approved by the church in business meeting. (Of course, we hold business meeting once a month on Wednesday nights. All members are both invited and encouraged to participate in our business meetings. Yet, typically we have approximately 50 people present to discuss and approve our church business. You don’t have to come to business meetings. But you are invited and encouraged to participate. Our next business meeting won’t happen until November…)

One of the benefits of our church polity is the way we involve many different people with many different gifts in church decisions. One of the drawbacks of our church polity is that it takes a very long time to get things done. This is where I got the idea for my sermon title today. As far as I know, a friend of mine came up with this phrase…Moving at the Speed of Church… It takes a meeting of the trustees, a deacons’ meeting and a business meeting to get things done.

In my opinion, there are many decisions that have to move at the speed of church. A fine example might be the way we dealt with an offer from the City of Lufkin. The City wanted to purchase or lease a piece of property from us to use as a parking lot for their planned expansion of the Civic Center. That was not a decision I wanted to make alone. I wanted to involve our trustees, deacons and church business meeting to make sure we accomplished what is in the best interest of our church.

However, not every decision has to move that slowly. There are certain things that the church is supposed to do every week. You have heard me talk about the five purposes of the church…Worship, Evangelism, Discipleship, Missions and Fellowship. A church should not have to vote on whether or not we will be involved in Worship, Evangelism, Discipleship, Missions and Fellowship. This is our purpose for existing as a church. This is the reason God placed us in Lufkin, Texas. We are not here to vote on church decisions. We are not here to maintain our buildings and our budget. We are here to do God’s work in Lufkin and around the world.

I mentioned this last Sunday, but it is worth repeating. In fact, this is so important that I could probably say it every Sunday for the rest of my life. Our idea of church is dependant on what we believe about Jesus and God’s mission in the world. We must first look at Jesus before we decide what we want our church to look like.

Since God revealed himself to us in Jesus, when we look at Jesus we not only see who God is…But, we also see what God wants us to do. God gave us our mission by giving us Jesus as our example. Jesus spent his earthly life and ministry reaching out to people who were far from God. Some of those people were unclean and undesirable sinners. They spent their time doing things that were in direct opposition to God’s will and God’s word. Yet, Jesus went to them and invited them to enter into a relationship with God. Other people Jesus went to were people who were held captive by demonic forces, physical disease and even poverty. Jesus went to them and met their needs. Then, Jesus invited them to enter into a relationship with God. Sometimes we see Jesus’ going to church…But that was rare and was not where Jesus spent most of his time.

When we look at Jesus, we see God. When we see God, we also see God’s mission for us as individuals and as a community of God’s people. Then, we develop our concept of church around God’s mission for God’s people.

Here is the sad reality. There are too many churches who reverse the order. We develop a concept of church around what I like to do…The songs I like to sing…The programs and ministries that make me happy…The decisions to do things the way I like them. Then, we think our mission is to get more people to like church the way we like church. Then, we take the next step and develop a theology about God and Jesus that proves to the world Jesus likes the same things about church that I like about church.

I want to look at two Scriptures about the church. In one Scripture, we will read what Jesus has to say about the church. In the second Scripture, we will read one of Paul’s many comments about the church.

II. What Jesus Said about the Church.

Read Matthew 16: 13 – 20.

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

(NIV)

This story appears toward the end of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry. Jesus began his ministry by selecting twelve disciples. Jesus taught them privately about the Kingdom of God. The disciples were present with Jesus when he taught publicly about the Kingdom of God. In fact, as I read the Gospels and the teachings of Jesus, I find more references about the Kingdom of God than about the church. I think this reference to the church might be the only time Jesus talked about church. Jesus was more concerned that his original disciples understand the true nature of God’s Kingdom.

While Jesus did spend a lot of his time talking about the Kingdom of God, that is not all Jesus did. He also demonstrated the Kingdom of God in the way he reached out to people who were far from God. Some people had a difficult time coming to God, because they were held in bondage to demons, sickness, hunger or poverty. In these situations, Jesus performed miracles. Jesus cast out demons, healed the sick, fed the hungry and preached Good News to the poor. Jesus’ ministry involved teaching about the true nature of God’s Kingdom and demonstrating that God’s Kingdom is different from all the kingdoms of the world.

The disciples heard all of Jesus’ teachings and witnessed all of Jesus’ miracles. Yet, at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry it was important for Jesus to make sure his disciples really understood who he was and why he came. So, Jesus asked the disciples two questions.

First, Jesus asked, “Who do (the) people say the Son of Man is?” In some ways, this is a cryptic question. Jesus did not say, “Who do people say that I am?” Instead, he asked who they thought the Son of Man was. If you have read the Gospels, you will recognize that “Son of Man” was Jesus’ favorite expression to use to refer to himself. In that sense, we can interpret this question as a question about Jesus’ own identity. However, if you have read the Book of Daniel, you will recognize “Son of Man” as an Old Testament designation for the coming Messiah—the one God promised to send to establish God’s Kingdom on earth. In this sense, Jesus’ question was asking who the people thought the Messiah was. And, according to the disciples, the people of Israel thought the Messiah was “John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

Second, Jesus asked, “But what about ya’ll? Who do ya’ll say I am?” This question was more specific than the first question. The question was specifically addressed to the disciples. The question was specifically in reference to Jesus and who the twelve disciples thought Jesus really was.

Simon Peter was the spokesman for the rest of the disciples. They may not have elected him as their spokesman, but he was the quickest on the draw. He answered the question before the others could take a breath to speak. Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

There are two very important points in Simon Peter’s confession of faith. First, he says that Jesus is the Christ. The Greek word Christos is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Messiah. So, Simon Peter is confessing that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Jesus is the One God sent to establish God’s Kingdom on earth. Second, he confesses that Jesus is the “Son of God.” To confess Jesus as the Son of God is to confess that Jesus is divine. He is not another prophet or simply a Jewish rabbi.

Notice how Jesus responded to this confession of faith. He accepted it. He agreed with it. He affirmed Simon Peter in three ways. First, he affirmed that this kind of understanding can only come from God’s revelation and not from human learning. Second, he changed Simon’s name from Simon to Peter. Third, Jesus said that since the name Peter means “rock,’ this would be the foundation of Jesus’ church.

I do not believe that Peter, as an individual, would be the foundation of the church. There is nothing in the Bible or even church history to suggest that the church was built on any person other than Jesus. Rather, I believe Jesus is referring to Peter’s confession of faith. The church is built on a foundation of men and women who confess Jesus is both the promised Messiah and the divine Son of God.

The only way to enter into the church is to confess Jesus as Messiah and Jesus as divine. This is important, because we worship Jesus. This is important, because we want to join Jesus in his mission to establish God’s Kingdom on earth. This is not a political Kingdom. This is not a Kingdom defined by national boundaries. This is a spiritual Kingdom where the forces of evil and poverty no longer hold us in bondage.

This is also important, because we have the same mission as Jesus. In fact, Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6, “Let your Kingdom come, Let your will be done, On earth as it is in Heaven.” We are to pray for God’s Kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven. We are to work for God’s Kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven. This is the mission of the church…to share in the mission of Jesus.

III. What Paul Said about the Church.

Read Ephesians 4: 11 – 13.

11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

(NIV)

This is one of many places where the Apostle Paul teaches us about the church. In fact, this is the primary theme of the Book of Ephesians. Paul tells us the church is an expression of God’s Kingdom on earth—embracing people of all races, all genders and all nationalities. Paul tells us that the church is God’s family—God is not the Father of all human beings, but God is the Father of all who place their faith in Jesus. Paul tells us the church is the Body of Christ—many different people coming together into one body, with Jesus as the head.

In this context, Paul is describing four different roles and / or ministries that exist within the church as the Body of Christ: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists and Pastor-Teachers.

· Apostles = Those who are sent…
· Prophets = Those who speak God’s Word to God’s people…
· Evangelists = Those who preach the Good News to non-Christians…
· Pastor-Teachers = Those who shepherd the church through teaching ministry…

There is a lot of overlap in these four ministries. In fact, I would have a difficult time choosing which term best describes the work I do as pastor of the church here in Lufkin. In many ways, I think my job involves all four roles. However, I don’t think the most important thing is to define and describe the four roles of ministry. Rather, I think the most important thing is to look at the verses following the ministry roles. These verses describe the PURPOSE of ministry.

In verse 12, Paul tells us that God has given Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists and Pastor-Teachers for the purpose of preparing God’s people for works of service.

As the pastor of this church, I believe this verse is specifically addressed to me. God sent me to this church with a purpose in mind. God sent me to prepare you individually and corporately for works of service.

I also believe this verse is specifically addressed to you as a church. Specifically, Paul tells us that God did not give you a pastor so that you can sit back and allow the pastor to do all the work of the church. God wants us all to work! We all have different jobs. But we are all supposed to work.

IV. Conclusion.

In the past couple of months, I have seen Ephesians 4: 12 at work in our church through two ministry opportunities.

One example is our new Women’s Ministry. I had two young women in our church come to me with ideas of organizing and developing a ministry for women. They want to create a full slate of Bible study options, hold annual retreats, do ministry projects in our community, and develop relationships among the women of our church across generational lines. When I had that first conversation, I had to make a choice. I could move at the speed of church, or I could encourage them to do the work God had called them to do. Moving at the speed of church would have killed their idea—present the idea to the trustees and deacons; vote on creating a Women’s Ministry in business meeting; asking the committee of committees to form a Women’s Ministry committee. Some things need to move at the speed of church. That is not true when God’s people are asking to do God’s work.

Another example is an idea that is still in development. This past summer, we participated in a local mission project here in Lufkin. We called it On Mission Lufkin. We did work on three Lufkin school campuses—demolishing a building at Trout Primary School and painting the classrooms at Herty Primary and Coston Elementary. Working on school campuses is great and meaningful work. But, there wasn’t a lot of contact with people. Right now, I have a group of people who are beginning to ask questions about how to do ministry projects which will impact low income families and give us an opportunity to interact with more people.

On Sunday, November 14, we will have an opportunity to learn about a ministry taking place in Birmingham, Alabama called Metro Changers. The Baptist churches in Birmingham do construction work on an average of 160 houses every year without ever leaving town. What kind of impact could we make on our community by starting a similar ministry in Lufkin? I’m excited about this, because it wasn’t my idea. We have church members who want to start this ministry. I simply made the phone calls to find someone who is already doing this in their own town.

Moving at the speed of church can be a good thing, and it can be a bad thing. When it comes to making church-wide decisions that affect all of us, I promise to move at the speed of church. But, if it involves God’s people being engaged in works of service. I promise to turn you loose and encourage you.