Understanding the Essence of the Church helps us better understand why a person would commit to attending and becoming a member of a Church. Thus, the aim of this series: answering the question, “Should a person attend Church?“
Understanding the Essence of the Church helps us better understand why a person would commit to attending and becoming a member of a Church. Thus, the aim of this series: answering the question, “Should a person attend Church?”
Last time, we examined the first aspect of the Essence of the Church, which is to have a sense of belonging inside a Church. Today, we’re going to look at the second aspect of The Essence of the Church, which is a cause to die for.
A Cause To Die For…
Why would someone ever sacrifice their life for someone or something else?
I’ll never forget the last scene of the movie, Armageddon. There was Bruce Willis riding down the spacecraft shaft with his daughters’ boyfriend, Ben Affleck. Ben had just drawn the short straw, and was going to sacrifice his life so that all of humankind wouldn’t be demolished by a meteorite. Bruce was accompanying him as–what seemed to be–a voice of encouragement. Well, the unthinkable happened: at the last second Bruce pushes Ben back in the shaft and sends Ben up to safety. Essentially, Bruce substituted his life for Ben’s life–as well as all of humanity. Amazing.
Why would he do that? In the movie, one would surmise that he did it because he loved Ben as a son. But, more than that, he loved his daughter, and he knew his daughter loved Ben. And so, Bruce’s love for his daughter motivated him to take his life so that she would have Ben as her husband. Very moving, but not eternal…nor practical. What if Bruce’s daughter and Ben never were married? What if Ben ended up not loving her anymore, and marrying someone else? Etc. Etc.
Those types of sacrifices are wonderful for Hollywood. They certainly bring tears to our eyes and give us hope that love–could possibly–exist(s) in that magnitude. But, it’s just not practical. How many people are faced with that situation, really?
The reality is, we need something greater in our lives to give us a cause to die for. We need something bigger than us, our family, our marriage, our possessions, our toys, our positions at work, our positions in ministry, and whatever else can be measured, quantified, or acquired in this world. We need something transcendent. We need something eternal. We need this to not only motivate our purpose in life, but to inform our everyday real-world decisions. Things like changing diapers. Things like wiping snotty noses. Things like resolving conflict with roommates. Things like being honest at work. Things like not gossiping about a friend or acquaintance. Things like loving your spouse when they wrong you or annoy you. Etc. We need something bigger than this world.
We need a cause–and eternal cause–to die for.
Enter the Church. The Church is the only institution that promises you that your investment into it will echo into eternity.
“Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
How important is the Church?
- Christ laid down His life for the Church
- “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” Ephesians 5:25-27
- God gives gifts to individuals in order to build up the Church
- “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
- The Spirit of God baptizes you into the Church–by grace through faith
- “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:13
- God is coming back for the Church
- “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
How then does the fact that God highly values the Church motivate us, as well as inform our cause (purpose) in this life?
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 15:58
Thus, if God values the Church in so much as He would die for it, then–as a follower of God through Christ–I too value the Church, and I am willing to die for it.
What’s the problem, then, with people not finding their cause to die for–by investing their lives into–the Church?
People.
The Church is not a building. It’s people. And…people hurt you. People are mean to you. People are different than you. The Church is people. Christ did not die for a building, but for people. Thus, investing into the Church–laying your life down for the Church–is laying your life down for people. It’s setting aside your interests for the interest(s) of others.
And so, next time, we’ll look deeper at the people of the Church, as we examine the third aspect of the Essence of the Church: COMMUNITY. Because, if Jesus truly meant what He said in John 13:34-35, then how we love people truly shows how we’re willing to die for and find our cause in this life within the Church.
— April 5, 2019