Whose Church Is It Anyway?

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.            -Matthew 16:18

It seems almost superfluous to ask questions regarding ownership of the church. Shouldn’t the answer be obvious? From its very beginning, Jesus claimed ownership of the church. He did not tell Peter that men like him could build their own churches – it belongs to Him. There are few within Christendom who would argue against this fact.

Yet, in spite of the fact that ownership of the church seems to be a settled issue, we must ask ourselves, “Whose church is it?” If we believe that what we are part of is the church established by Christ, then how should we function as such a church? What responsibilities fall upon us, and what work should be left to God? Are there times when we are taking authority that was never entrusted to us?

Our understanding of the church must begin with the fact that it is not our church. We speak of it in those terms when we refer to “our church”, and the use of that language may betray what some actually believe at times. Though the Bible says that the church was purchased by Christ with His own blood (Acts 20:28), modern Christianity has subjected it to the ever-changing whims of contemporary society. There is a distinct possibility that we have allowed the work and direction of the church to be determined by the culture in which we live. Rather than allowing the church to be counter-cultural, it has been molded and conformed to the image of the society it was intended to change. However, the relevance of the church is always a direct result of its distinction from worldly cultures. If the church cannot be holy, or set apart, from the world, neither can it be relevant to the needs of humanity. So, even though it seems unnecessary, let us consider the implications of Jesus’ ownership of the church.

The Foundation of the Church

Jesus’ statement about the church was in response to Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Son of God (Matt. 16:16). Jesus told Peter that it was not man who had revealed this truth to him, but God Himself. He then asserted that this is the rock upon which the church would be built. What rock is Jesus describing? Peter’s name signifies a stone, or a fragment of rock. Jesus was not referring to a stone, but to a rock that would provide a solid foundation for the church. Peter confessed his faith in Jesus as God’s Son, and it is on this firm foundation that the church was built.

On what foundation is the church built today? Jesus said that those who hear His words and respond to them (Matt. 7:24) are building on a foundation that will support them. The church must be built on Jesus Christ and what He teaches. There is no greater foundation than the Incarnate Word who brings the light of God into this fallen world. All that we do must be built on the work, and character of Jesus Christ. We are not given the authority to choose our foundation, but it is laid for us in all that has been done by Christ.

The Builder of the Church

The Bible is clear that humanity is a necessary part of the church. The Bible says that we are the blocks that make up the temple of God. You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). It is important for us to understand our place in the church Christ builds. We are a part of His church. It is always built through the saints, but it is never designed by them. It is not our purpose to structure the church according to our desires, or for our own ease. It is always Christ who puts the members in place where He sees fit. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11, 12). There is no doubt, the body must be built, but it is the work of Christ to erect the structure through the call He places on His people.

 We are stones, but it is not our purpose to be architects. All that is built grows out of the work of Jesus. Every ministry, ever committee, every organization must grow out of the work and purpose of Jesus Christ. He is the master builder, and the church always surrenders to His design.

The Purpose of the Church

We talk a great deal about purpose and vision within the church today. Conferences are offered, and books written, to help us identify our vision and establish goals that will help us pursue them. At times, it seems that we believe it to be our purpose to determine the direction of the church, but what we miss is that He has already provided direction. The gates of hell shall not prevail… The work of the church is to march into battle to conquer that which hell possesses. The imagery used in Matthew 16:18 is not one that requires the church to sit back and hope to endure. In ancient times cities were surrounded by walls. There were gates in those walls to protect the citizens, but no nation every marched into battle with gates. They are always a defensive structure. So the implication of Jesus’ statement is that the church is to be an offensive force against the powers of hell. We must be willing to fight the spiritual battles before us in the name and power of Christ.

The church of our day has become a collection of spiritual pacifists in many cases; unwilling to stand for the truth of God’s Word. Some have abandoned doctrinal principles that have been held orthodox for centuries to gain acceptance with society. How can this be when it is the stated purpose of Christ for the church to stand against the sinful things of the world? Jesus established the church for a purpose: to bring light to the darkness of the world. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). It this is true, then our purpose must be to boldly proclaim that which makes the church different from the fallen world in which we live. The purpose of the church, according to Jesus, is to march against the gates of hell.

Based on the words of Jesus, what do we believe about the church today? If we believe the words of Jesus, do we see the church that He established when we look at our congregations, or the church at large? If we are to be the church today, we must first establish where ownership lies, and that is always with Christ.

Visions of Christ

Visions of Christ

Revelation 1:9-20

 

            Every once in a while you read something that leaves a lasting impression; something that forces you to consider it even years after you’ve read it. I read such a book in high school. In 1953 Ray Bradbury’s book, Fahrenheit 451, was published. Bradbury’s story described a society where truth was hidden at all costs and self-centeredness was the rule of the day. The people did everything possible to shelter themselves from the realities of the world. They lived in a self-induced stupor having been intoxicated by their self-indulgence. Bradbury wrote about people whose lives were consumed by their entertainment and were lived vicariously through the televisions that ruled their living rooms.  The people were happy to live in self-delusion with their allusions of joy until they were brought face to face with the harsh reality of war. When the time came that they had to face truth they had no idea how to handle it. They were ill-prepared to face the trials and tribulations of life. As terribly equipped as such a society seem, are we really much different?

            John faced a similar situation. The Romans filled coliseums with countless thousands of people who went to find some kind of fulfillment and happiness. The empire provided all the entertainment people needed through sports and wealth, but they did what was necessary to hide the truth. That’s why John found himself on Patmos.

            Sometimes it seems like the world will stop at nothing to hide definite truth. We see it all around us. We read stories of scientists who are pressured by politics to make sure their studies find what is considered acceptable by the powers that be. There have been college professors who have lost jobs because they refuse to blindly promote unproven theories of evolution in favor of intelligent design. Many dictators have controlled the media of their country, and some have gone so far as to censor what people are allowed to read.

            Suppression of truth is a means of inhibiting the freedom of people as they try to understand life. By directing them to specific, well-chosen information they are led to a conclusion that is desirable for their leaders. This has even happened in the church. There was a day when Bibles were chained to pulpits and the common man was not allowed access to God’s Word. This allowed the rulers to maintain control over the conclusions that people would draw by denying them access to all that is available to them. We see it in the church once again today. The Bible is not kept from God’s people, but they have willfully allowed themselves to live in ignorance of what it teaches, and the result has been leaders who have led the church astray.

            We look around us and see a church that is largely failing in America. Our leaders continue to promote leadership techniques and programs while the church continues to decline. Outreach is the theme of the day, and if we aren’t growing in great numbers we are not successful. Scripture teaches us that the church grew in the New Testament as the Bible became more important to the Christians. “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). When we do not know Scripture we do not know how to deal with life’s circumstances, so we turn to leaders who will give us instruction. Is this not how the Christian life is lived today? We don’t go to the Word, but to some self-help guru for our direction. The absolute truth of God’s Word has been confined to the shadows of the world, and hidden in the dark corners of the church. Over a couple thousand years it seems that some things haven’t changed all that much.

            John, the great apostle who proclaimed God’s truth to the early church, was exiled to Patmos as a way of keeping the truth from people. F.G. Smith explains, “Having confined him to a barren spot [Patmos], the emperor no doubt thought he had effectually cleared the world of this preacher of righteousness…But when men think the truth is dead and buried out of sight, God suddenly gives it a resurrection with thirty-fold greater glory. It was so in this case.”[1] Just when it seemed like the truth of God might be stamped out of existence, the apostle received a vision on the far reaches of the prison of Patmos. He was not given a structure or program that would obscure the glory and power of God. He was not given instruction on where to find the nearest church growth seminar, or tips on the amendment of bylaws.

            When God’s Word was hidden away the church received what she needed most: visions of an all-powerful, resurrected, living Christ! As John contemplated the church on the Lord’s Day a vision of a triumphant church came forth through the words of Jesus. It is in times such as these that we experience visions of the work of Christ. It is when the truth seems to be losing ground to the lies of man that God speaks to His people and directs them back to His Word, and to His revelation. It is in such times that God brings revival to the submissive heart.

            It is important that we understand the victory that God is showing in this vision. There are many who insist on a literal interpretation of what John saw on Patmos, but to look at this in such a way is to take away from the victory won by Jesus. We do not interpret Jesus – or His work – in light of the visions of apocalyptic literature, but we always interpret such literature in light of Jesus Christ and His victory over the powers of hell.[2] It is truth that sets us free, and for that purpose God revealed the truth about a victorious church through the book of Revelation. That purpose must be kept in the forefront of our thought as we read the visions of John. Jesus told us in John’s gospel that He came for the purpose of freedom. “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31, 32). Paul also told the Galatian church, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). God has provided visions in Scripture that will free us from the bondage of worldly ideas. We find ourselves in bondage to the world, but the church need not live in that prison. The truth, if sought and applied to our lives – individually and corporately – will truly set us free.

 

It Is During Tribulation That We See Christ

 

            We cannot deny that the church of John’s day was facing tribulation. This has often been a result of the world’s response to the faith of God’s people. Faith in the Word of God offends the sinful hearts of the world and brings conviction to their souls. When we place our trust in the moral standards set forth by God it gives us a hope that the world does not possess. By putting our trust in God’s Word we are making a clear statement that the testimony of His Son will be the example by which we live. We will not settle for the relativity of the world, or the universalism that has become a part of the beliefs of so many. John was sent to Patmos for this faith. Many Christians have lost their lives for the same type of faith. God’s people have been martyred, exiled, beaten, imprisoned and publicly shamed for their commitment to something greater than the government rulers of this world.

            It is during these times of great trial that the church has historically risen to new heights as men and women of God come together to support one another as they endure hardship. In verse 9 John claimed to be partnered with the church in tribulation, the kingdom, and patient endurance. We experience the presence of Jesus today during these times as His body lives in harmony with one another. As we encourage and carry one another we see God at work. This is what John meant when he said he was their partner in the kingdom. We live together in mutual submission to God’s reign even under the most sever tribulation. “Just as Jesus suffered in order to establish his rule so must believers. Those who put themselves under the lordship of Christ open themselves to tribulation in this in-between-time before Christ’s return and the final consummation and destruction of all evil.”[3] History proves that Satan will do anything to keep God’s people from submitting to His reign. We will face trial, tribulation, difficulty and obstacles, but God will overcome all these things through His people living together as His kingdom. Visions of our King remind us of the One whom we serve as we face this opposition of the Devil.

            God has not left us alone to face difficulty. It is during this time that we experience the work of Christ. We see Him move through His church, and in the lives of His people. We experience His peace and comfort, His love and mercy. If our faith remains steadfast in Jesus, we will never face a trial without a “partner” in tribulation. When we meet obstacles we see Christ work.

 

It Is When We Are In the Spirit That We See Christ

 

            It is no coincidence that John was “in the Spirit” when he saw a vision of Christ. The Spirit is the one who reveals Christ to us. He testifies to the work of Jesus. “He will glorify me, he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14). Since the Spirit reveals Christ to us we see Him most clearly during the times when we are led by the Spirit. John Stott pointed out, “It is only logical. If Christian maturity is maturity in our relationship to Christ, in which we worship, trust and obey him, then the clearer our vision of Christ, the more convinced we become that he is worthy of our commitment.”[4] Stott went on to say, “For the discipleship principle is clear: the poorer our vision of Christ the poorer our discipleship will be, whereas the richer our vision of Christ, the richer our discipleship will be.”[5]

            It is the Holy Spirit who allowed John to look to the heavens and see the vision of Christ rather than to his immediate circumstances of difficulty. The testimony of Christ that we see in Scripture helps to teach us that it is never our circumstances that should dictate the way we live, but the Spirit of God. When we become bitter over troubles we face visions of Christ are more difficult to see. The church has been called to live in a world that is hostile to her culture, but we must live in light of the visions of Christ that Scripture reveals to us. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). If our witness is to stand, we cannot afford to respond to adversity in the same way the world responds. We can’t allow ourselves to live in panic and worry over what is going to happen. Jesus said, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).

            The Spirit of God will always direct us to Christ. When it is the Spirit who is guiding our decisions and responses we will always respond in light of our vision of the work of the Son of God. It is from this position that John sees the vision of Christ and His triumphant church.

 

It Is Among the Churches That We See Christ

 

            John did not simply see a vision of Jesus. He saw our Risen Lord walking among seven golden lampstands. In fact, the text would lead us to believe that John the first thing John saw after hearing the voice of Christ were these lampstands. We are not left to guess what these lampstands must be; Jesus told John exactly what they are: “As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches” (Rev. 1:20).

            It should come as no surprise that we find Jesus among the congregations of His church. Jesus told His disciples, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matt. 18:20). He also reminded them before He ascended to heaven, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

            Jesus walks among His people today – just as He walked with the church in John’s day – to fill the role of high priest. “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come…” (Heb. 9:11). In Old Testament times it was the responsibility of the high priest to trim the lamps in the tabernacle. “And Aaron shall burn on it incense of sweet spices; every morning when he trims and fills the lamps he shall burn it” (Exod. 30:7 AB). The lamp was put in place to light the holy place in the tabernacle. Without the light of these lamps the tabernacle of God would be dark, so twice a day the high priest filled the lamps with oil and trimmed the wicks. This kept deposits from building up that would eliminate the light that was given. Jesus fulfills the same role in God’s New Testament tabernacle.

            The churches give off the witness of God’s power and glory. Jesus walks among the congregations to tend their lamps. It is through visions of Christ that the witness of the church is carried into the world. As we see His revelation in Scripture it trims and removes deposits from the wick that lights God’s lamps today. He continually works through His Spirit to empower the church to do His work in the world today. As we are built up into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5) we see visions of Jesus walking among His people to fulfill His role as our high priest maintaining the work of God within our lives. It is the presence of Jesus that makes this tabernacle the church. It is this presence that allows us to rightly consider ourselves the temple of God. John was given a vision of one who trims the lamps.[6]

 

It Is In Humility That We See Christ

 

            It is important that we see Christ through His Word and His church. We must understand the work He does through His church. We must also respond to these visions. John responded to the presence of God’s Son as many have reacted throughout history. His response mirrors that of Ezekiel, “Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking” (Ezek. 1:28). Moses removed his shoes and bowed before God (Exod. 3:5).  Even the Apostle Paul fell on His face before the Risen Christ, “And falling to the ground he heard a voice” (Acts 9:4)…

            A real vision of Jesus Christ should give us a sense of inadequacy, and should leave us standing in wonder and awe of our God. As we begin to understand what God reveals to us through such a vision it reminds us that even the brightest and best of our day cannot compare to the wisdom of Jesus Christ, and His power working through His people is unmatched by anything that is spawned within the finite mind of man. This revelation of the mind and will of God is what has drawn His people back to Him in times of revival over the course of history. Dennis Kinlaw commented, “I am convinced that every great revival in the history of the church has started when God’s people began to seek ‘the mind of Christ.’ When they set aside the normal human way of thinking about the world and allowed Christ to direct their lives, the world has been turned ‘upside down.’”[7]

            For decades the church of our day has stood as a darkened tabernacle, not knowing whether or not our high priest stands among us. We have turned to programs, gimmicks and fads to light the lamps of the church once again, but nothing has reignited the fire among God’s people. Visions of Jesus Christ serve to reignite the passion of God’s people. These visions bring revival to the church. As long as we continue to look within ourselves for guidance we will never be the lamps that burn brightly in the dwelling place of God. It is through visions of Jesus, and the revelation of the mind of Christ that the church moves in power in this sinful world. We experience God’s power when we respond to visions of our Lord as Isaiah, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isa. 6:5). Our trials are not overcome by our own ingenuity, but by visions of Jesus Christ and His plan for a triumphant church.

 

            It is during eras of difficulty that apocalyptic literature was written by the Jews before the time of Christ. It is in the same kinds of circumstance that John was given this vision. “Here is the meaning of the vision: A living, holy, majestic, omniscient, authoritative, powerful Christ stands in the midst of the churches, holds their destiny in his hand and says: ‘Stop fearing. I was dead. I am alive forever. More than that, I hold in my hand the keys to death and the grave. You should not fear to go to any place to which I hold the key. You may be persecuted to death but I am still your king.”[8] It doesn’t matter what we are facing today – individually or corporately – we are kept by our risen Lord. The Apostle Paul’s words still hold true today:

           

            "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall     separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Rom. 8:31-37).

 

            Do we live in light of a Scriptural vision of a risen, victorious Christ? One who stands amid a Spirit-led, triumphant church?

 

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[1] F.G. Smith, The Revelation Explained, 36

[2] Richard K. Eckley, Revelation: A Commentary for Bible Students (Indianapolis: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2006), 57

[3] Carol Rotz, Revelation: A Commentary In the Wesleyan Tradition (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2012), 59

[4] John Stott, The Radical Disciple (Downer’s Grove: IVP Books, 2010), 42

[5] Ibid, 47

[6] David Ravenhill, The Jesus Letters (Shippensburg: Destiny Image, 2003), 33

[7] Dennis Kinlaw, The Mind of Christ (Anderson: Francis Asbury Press, 1998), 19

[8] Ray Summers, Worthy Is the Lamb (Nashville: Broadman &Holman Publishers, 1951), 105

The Church Grows In the Word

And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.                       -Acts 6:7

 

Church growth is a hot topic within the world of Christianity today.  As many congregations decline in size pastors and laity alike continue to search for answers.  Why do we struggle in this postmodern world?  What is keeping people away from the church?  Why have we lost our influence and authority in this nation?  We commission market studies and research to help us find the methods that will attract people and convince them to join our ranks.  Local congregations of our day will seemingly try any method or program that might bring the masses to them. 

 

Sometimes, as I read books about methods and programs, I wonder where we find all this in Scripture.  If the church described in the book of Acts is our model then why do we not follow their example?  Have we considered the fact that with all of our modern innovations, and our life on the “cutting edge” of ministry we are failing miserably while that small band of fishermen so many years ago set the world on fire?  Those men and women of the early church turned a pagan world upside down.  Their influence was so great that the pagan government of the time could not help but stand up and take notice of the work that God was doing among them.  Where is that power today?  Why do we not see such a work?  Even churches that are growing tremendously do not see the power of God at work within them like the apostolic church. 

 

There are many differences we could point out between that church and the church of our day, but we would be better served to look at what drove their ministry, and where their attention was focused.  They were not looking at the most recent sociological studies, but at the Word of God.  Acts 6:7 tells us that the number of disciples grew as the Word of God INCREASED.  With each passing day the doctrines and teaching of Christ became more prominent in their lives and within the church.  “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching [doctrine] and the fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42).”  These were people who desperately wanted to know Christ through His teaching.  They wanted to make Him, and His work, the object of their being.  The talked about doctrine with one another, and lived it in everything they did.  For the early church, things like sanctification and holiness were more than simply a theory, or an exercise in intellectual gymnastics.  These teachings were a way of life and a part of their very being.  For them, to know Christ was to learn of Him through His work in their lives.  To understand what He taught and did among them.

 

For many among the church in this day, doctrine is not longer a matter of importance.  People are continually telling us that doctrine does not matter as long as people are getting saved.  We allow any number of heresies (and we need to call them what they are) to be spread throughout the church as long as a few more people show up this Sunday than last.  Those who desire to stay true to the Word of God are accused of loving doctrine more than Jesus.  To briefly consider things like this shows the fallacy on which they are founded. 

 

Doctrine simply means teaching.  A doctrine is something that Scripture teaches us.  If Jesus Christ embodied the truth of God (John 14:6) then what He did and taught are doctrine.  Jesus’ work and teaching cannot – and should not – be separated.  To love Jesus is to love His teaching, and therefore, to love doctrine because it is an explanation of His Holy character, and teaches us the truth behind the works that He did.  The apostles looked at the teaching and work of Christ in this way.  In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began TO DO AND TEACH… (Acts 1:1)”  In their minds, to do the work of Christ was to live the doctrine of Christ.  That Is why John wrote, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the TEACHING OF CHRIST, does not have God.  Whoever abides IN THE TEACHING has both the Father and the Son (2 John 1:9).”  One cannot and does not truly know and love Jesus Christ without continually gaining an understanding of doctrine.

 

While considering the importance of doctrine in our personal lives, we cannot forget its importance in the church.  The church was multiplied only as the Word of God increased.  As it was taught and took a position of prominence.  As Jesus’ teachings were passed on to the disciples who followed the lives around them were touched and even changed.  They were changed because this doctrine, and this Word are not without power.  “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).”  The apostolic church did not simply teach a theory or a method.  They lived in submission to God and allowed His Word and His Truth to live in them.  They did not work to explain it away, or to excuse themselves from its commands, but they taught and understood it so that Jesus Christ (the Truth) would become a part of their innermost being.  So that it was Christ who lived through them. 

 

The power contained in the doctrine of the Word is why they worked so hard to maintain purity in their teaching.  If the doctrine taught by Christ and inspired by the Holy Spirit multiplied the number of disciples, false doctrine – and those who promoted it - would be the greatest threat to the young church.  John wrote to the church, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching [doctrine], do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works (2 John 10, 11).”  Have you ever thought about how much we have changed since those days?  We have gone from not even greeting one who bears false teaching to promoting them to the highest positions of leadership because their “gifts” are more important than their beliefs.  Jesus Christ Himself even rebuked this false teaching in His letter to the Church of Thyatira:  “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants… (Rev. 2:20)”  The truth is that there is no place in all of Scripture that condones false doctrine.  But beyond that fact is the truth that there is no verse anywhere that teaches us that doctrine is not important.  In fact, most of the epistles give some type of instruction to seek the Truth. 

 

By continuing to look away from God and to things of the world for direction, the church is missing the power that is available to her.  We continue to suffer from our power outage as we seek the ways of the world, and try everything in our power to win souls.  We try in vain because soul winning and discipleship are not in our power.  Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches us that Christianity is “not something that we take up or put down, but something that God does in our lives.”  When His Word moves in our lives discipleship takes place.  When the Word becomes a part of us outreach takes place.  “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself (John 14:32).”  It seems that we are making the commission given to us by Jesus Christ much more difficult than it should be.  We are not called to come up with slick marketing strategies and ingenious ploys.  We are simply called to submit to God and allow His Spirit to work through us. 

 

The need of the world today is not another program.  The need of the church is not more organization and structure.  The need is the power of the Spirit of God working through the Word of God.  As the world closes in all around us, what the church needs – and what the world needs – are preachers and teachers who take doctrine seriously.  We need those who, as the Old Testament prophets, can boldly proclaim, “The Word of the Lord came to me.”  The church needs those who will not compromise this Word for all the wealth of the world or the favor of its people.  A.W. Tozer once wrote, “I do not know what the future holds.  But I know one thing: Rather than betray the sheep of God, rather than lie to them and deceive them and keep them agitated and stirred up with all kinds of popular topics; rather than take my material from Time magazine, I’ll preach the Word to empty seats and sigh and cry for the abomination that is in the earth.” 

 

It is not an easy task to hold true to the doctrine of God’s Word.  It will bring criticism and skepticism, but in the end, it is the truth that will set people free.  The church has been entrusted to teach and proclaim the Word of God.  And we are told that it will not be popular.  “And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matt. 10:22).”  James Earl Massey speaks of the difficulty of holding true to the Word in his book Stewards of the Story, “A trustworthy stewardship as preachers demands courage to preach in these times when religious pluralism influences the public mind and postmodernism has emboldened many to question our message and the necessity of our work.”

 

The call to hold to the doctrines of Scripture is not always easy, and is seldom popular.  But it is our charge nonetheless.  The book of Acts gives us an example of a viable, growing church.  It is a church where doctrine was not only important, but imperative.  If we are to “be the church,” we must hold to the doctrine that has been entrusted to the church.  If we are to experience a renewal of God’s works and power in this day when the world pulls us in a thousand different directions, it will be when doctrine once again becomes a priority in the church.

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A Godly Vision of the Church

When you think about, or talk about the church what do you envision?  Some think of a building, and others an organization.  For some, corporate worship comes to mind, while still others think of some of the difficulties that take place within the church.  We all have ideas of what the church is supposed to look like, and how it is supposed to work.  We know what we think Christians should do, and how they should live together and we spend great amounts of effort and resources to see those ideas brought to fruition.  But is it possible that sometimes we forget what God envisions when He thinks of the church?  Has His vision and His plan been lost among all of our ideas and organization?

            The book of Revelation is the vision of the church that the Apostle John received from Jesus Christ Himself.  Through the imagery employed by the beleaguered preacher we see the difficulties that the church should expect to endure, but also the heights to which God will raise His people.  When it comes right down to it, that’s what this seemingly mysterious book of the Bible is about – God raising His people, and His church up to be what they could not be apart from Him.  It is about God receiving glory through you and me, and every Christian who has wholeheartedly served their God throughout history. 

            We spend time in our congregations and even in our personal lives looking for vision and trying to understand where God is leading us.  We like to use the verse from Proverbs 29:18 that tells us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish,” but many scholars teach that a more accurate translation of that verse is, “Where there is no revelation people cast off restraint.”  Is it possible that the church lacks power and authority today because our vision comes from the wrong places? 

            A lot of the conversation we hear today regarding vision is focused on being “practical” in the things we do within the church.  We want people to readily understand everything we teach and preach and try to avoid things that will require more thought than can happen during a Sunday morning service.  While there is nothing wrong with trying to ensure a better understanding of doctrine contained in Scripture, many times those teachings are compromised or left out altogether in the name of pragmatism.  But what consequence could this be having on the church?  If Scripture is God’s revelation, we are missing a great deal of His heavenly vision because we are not willing to search the Scriptures for it.  We consider doctrine impractical and hindering, but when we come to the Bible looking for God’s vision for His church that same doctrine becomes that which delivers us to the heights at which God has called us to live and function as the church.  We see these visions throughout the Bible.  If we will take the time to prayerfully seek the direction of His spirit we will find that God has not left us alone to come up with “our vision” for the church.  Pastors and laity alike are lifted to new heights by subscribing to the descriptions of the way God sees and empowers His church.  That’s what we see when we read John’s description of the “New Jerusalem” coming down from heaven.

 

            Despite the claims of what we hear on television and read in popular culture, the visions of this 21^st chapter of Revelation are visions of God’s church - the culmination of a thriving, victorious church.  This is the vision God has put in place for the church.  John tells us in verse 2, “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”  Though many claim that someday God will open up the sky and a city will fall out, John makes the bride of Christ (which we know represents the church) and New Jerusalem synonymous.  And it does not only happen once, he reiterates the same thing in verses 9 and 10.  This is clearly something more than what we are so often led to believe.  This is the church!  It is the vision that God sustains for His people, and the beauty in which He sees them. 

Many Christians look at the church as a failed institution, something that needs to be radically altered to fit our modern culture.  They spend their time looking for “new vision” and something different.  The radical alteration that the church needs today is not one that will cause us to fit the worldly culture, but one that allows us to bring the world a different culture.  We need to catch the vision that God provided to John so many years ago, a vision of a great movement that will bring the culture of heaven to earth.  The purpose of the church has never been to conform to worldly culture, but to bring into a lost world a great counter-culture known as the Kingdom of God.  We see, through God’s vision of the church, the capital city of that kingdom, a triumphant people and a benevolent king.  God has NEVER called His people to stumble through this world in mediocrity trying to “find” some vision and direction; He has created us, and called us out of the world into His holy light to be a triumphant, victorious church - a church that has overcome the world and all of its sin and despair.  That’s why Jesus said, “On this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18),” and why the Apostle Paul reminded us that we are “more than conquerors through him who loved us (Rom. 8:37).” 

We sit through meeting after meeting looking for direction when Scripture is filled with examples of those who have – through a humble heart – come to know the power of God.  But there is a stark contrast between the lives we live for God and those of the heroes of the faith: We concern ourselves with the earthly they concerned themselves with the heavenly.  We concern ourselves with leading, they concerned themselves with submission.  We spend our time looking for the practical while they spent their time looking for the unimaginable.  These were men and women who did not limit themselves to what they knew they could accomplish because their human accomplishments would never compare with what God can do.  They approached God, not to find approval for their vision, but to seek His vision and allow Him to lift them to greater heights than the world had ever known.  They weren’t looking for worldly things to help them get by for a few years until the culture around them changed again, they looked ahead for what God wanted to do in the world THROUGH THEM.  “If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return.  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, A HEAVENLY ONE.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city (Heb. 11:15, 16).” 

The church has always been these faithful men and women who will seek God’s will and God’s vision above everything else.  It is not the doormat that so many of us want to make her as we talk negatively about the church and try to hide our association with her.  The church is described as something beautiful, in fact, Psalm 50:2 goes a step further by saying, “Out of Zion, THE PERFECTION OF BEAUTY, God shines forth.”  Are we looking for the same thing God is looking for?  The Apostle Paul reminded us that Christ died for the church, “so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:26, 27).”  Many Christians in our day don’t even look at a life of holiness as a possibility, but that was GOD’S VISION when Jesus hung on the cross and died at the gate so His people could be sanctified.  If this is God’s vision, why are we so willing to settle for less?  Why do we no longer insist on transformation of lives through the power of the Holy Spirit?  Why is a sanctified life no longer a necessity for the Christian, but some type of optional addition to our faith?  That is not what God intended.  God does not want us to drag His work down into the gutters where we live, but He wants to raise us to the heights of holiness and the altitudes of heaven itself.  That’s why John tells us in verse 10 that he was carried away to a “high mountain” to view God’s vision of the church.  That’s the only place from where you can really see such a thing.  And this vision is given freely to us today if we will allow God to raise us up to new heights through our submission to His Spirit and His will.  There is nothing that keeps us from experiencing the fulfillment of this vision of God except for us.

 

Look what God is teaching us about His church:

 

The origin of God’s city is ALWAYS Heaven.  That is as true today as it was nearly two thousand years ago.  If we are to experience God’s work it will always be when we turn our attention away from the sinful things of the world and toward heaven.  Scripture teaches us that the voice of God rings out from heaven, “The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice (2 Sam. 22:14).”  God’s salvation came from heaven when Jesus Christ came to earth to dwell among us.  His power came from heaven when the Apostles and disciples heard the sound of a rushing wind and the Spirit filled and empowered the church.  And God’s city, the New Jerusalem, is seen “coming down out of heaven from God.” 

            God has a vision for His church, and this vision can never be accomplished by means that originate with man.  Only those things that come from heaven are sufficient to accomplish the will of God in the world.  That’s why Scripture places such emphasis on knowing the mind of God.  Because, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isa. 55:9).”  Scripture continually teaches us that God’s work must be done His way, and His way always comes from heaven.  It never comes from a board meeting, a policy, bylaws or bureaucracy.  The things of God originate with God in heaven!

            John was even shown the difference between the things of God and the ways of man in this book of Revelation.  Chapter 13 verse 1 tells us, “I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten [crowns] on its horns and blasphemous names on its head.”  John saw visions of beasts that would be worshipped by the people.  These are systems that draw man away from God, just as the beasts in the book of Daniel represent ungodly political systems.  The problem we face is that man has a way of climbing onto the back of these beasts and going wherever they happen to go. 

Even the church does this at times.  John goes on in the 17^th chapter to show us this.  In contrast to the pure bride of Christ we see in Scripture he saw something completely different.  “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters’…And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names…The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls…And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abomination (Rev. 17:1-5).’”  If a pure woman represents the church established by God, this prostitute represents a false religion, one that takes people away from God.  She is adorned with all the things valued by the world, jewelry, gold, scarlet.  But look at the position she has placed herself in:  She is SEATED ON A BEAST!  When we see visions of Jesus in Revelation the “Son of Man” is seated on a horse.  Horses can be domesticated, and they will listen to the one who rides them and take them where they want to go.  YOU CANNOT CONTROL A BEAST!  It will go wherever its nature takes it.  This woman has placed herself in a position where she is not in control of her destination.

How does this all apply to us today?  Revelation 13 said the beast rose up out of the sea.  Revelation 17:5 tells us, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.”  This false religion is built on something that rose up from man.  This woman is seated on something that man created and subsequently lost control of.  We spend our time devising structures and programs that we are sure God will bless, though we have spent little time seeking His direction.  We get together with other Christians to talk about ideas, potential and vision without much thought given to prayer and study of God’s word.  We cast a vision that turns into 5 and 10 year plans that have come entirely from our own knowledge and limited earthly wisdom, and then we CLIMB ON TO THE BACK of that beast and go wherever it leads us.  We create programs that are supposed to lead us toward God and what we have really done is set loose another beast that will carry the people of God further and further away from the city of God. 

The works of man are NEVER a substitute for the work of God.  The method Scripture teaches us of discipleship and building of a relationship with God comes not from studies and statistics, but submission and prayer.  The revival in God’s church that so many long to see comes from a submission to the word and the will of God.  A desire to see Him glorified through the church and a willingness to pay whatever cost may come with that.  God’s ways come from heaven and will lead us to His city, and His vision of what the church should be, while man’s ways lead away from that very thing. 

“After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven….and he called out with a mighty voice, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great (Rev. 18:1, 2)!’” Consider what this angel was proclaiming:  Babylon IS FALLEN!  It does not say that Babylon is falling, or has fallen.  It says it “is fallen.”  From their beginning, the ideas of man that are substituted for those of God are fallen.  They were never pleasing to God, and could never really accomplish His purposes.  When we take our live into our own hands and cease to look to His Word and Spirit to direct us we have placed ourselves at the mercy of a beast that was fallen from its start. 

When we begin to see this vision of God’s church, and the lives that her people live, then that prayer life that we have been neglected suddenly becomes important again.  The opportunities to hear the proclamation of God’s word suddenly become vital and “practical” and the fallen works that have replaced them are no longer so important.  We begin to understand – just as God’s people have understood in days gone by – that the church has never been built on the works and thoughts of man, but on the doctrines revealed by God.

 

John tells us that the God-given vision of New Jerusalem revealed a city that was built on the foundation of the Apostles.  “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb (v. 14).”  We talk a lot about what is essential and what is not essential in the Christian life, but if we are to live a life that sees the heights to which God would raise us it must be built on the doctrine we see in Scripture.  When God began to add to the church in the book of Acts we read, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ DOCTRINE and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers (Acts 2:42).” 

This revelation shows us the relationship God wants with us.  It clarifies and fulfills the revelation in the Old Testament.  John tells us that there were twelve gates surrounding the city and the twelve had the names of the tribes of Israel.  When John saw God’s light in the city he pointed out that these gates were always opened.  Too many times, we stumble around in the darkness of this world trying to “find God.”  The truth is, we stumble around in vain.  He has revealed Himself, AND CONTINUES to reveal His will.  God has a vision for our lives, and for His church, and that is shown to us as we begin to study, and allow the Spirit to guide us into, the depths of His word. 

When we allow doctrine to begin to work in our lives we experience something more than what we could create for ourselves.  We don’t have to wander aimlessly through the dark anymore, but are led into an ever-closer walk with God as we follow the light that He reveals to us.  We see God’s grace and vision in ways that we may never have imagined.  We look back at the Old Testament and see a God of judgment that causes us to tremble and fear.  But when we look at it in light of God’s vision we see something greater.  We see the depth of God’s mercy when we look at the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden.  We understand when we look at God’s perspective that they were not cast out as punishment, but they were removed from danger.  God eliminated the possibility of them eating from the tree of life and living eternally in their fallen state.  The flood of Noah shows us the lengths to which God will go to preserve His people.  The flood restricted the evil that had spread across the earth like a cancer and allowed His followers a new beginning.  Even the tower of Babel shows us the protection that God sometimes gives us from ourselves when he confused the languages to keep man from building a structure that would have turned their attention away from Him.  (Sound familiar?)

As we grow in our Christian walk, and look for direction for the church, it is imperative that we remember that God had a plan for us, and for His church before we ever came along.  That plan is eternal, and the beauty of the works He wants to do in us and through us exceeds any life we could ever create, or church we could ever organize.  God’s plan originates in heaven and it is built on nothing less than the eternal wisdom of our all-powerful God.

 

When we think about God’s vision for the church we see a city built on what He has revealed.   We also see a city with a specific purpose: to be a “Light to the nations…”  The God-given responsibility of the church is to reflect the light of God’s presence into the world around us.  If this is to happen, God must first live among us.  In John’s vision we see the city where God lives among His people, and is an active part of their lives.  He provides for their needs and displays His power through their lives.  The greatest part of this vision of such a city is that God is BUILDING THAT CITY TODAY among His people.  He is working through His church to shine His light into a darkened world from a city that transcends man-made divisions, race, geographical boundaries and every other barrier that has ever kept His people apart.  That’s why John tells us “the sea was no more” in verse 1.  Remember what the sea was?  It was “nations, tribes, people and languages.”  In God’s city there are no more nations, there is simply one nations: the Kingdom of God.  We are not divided by various cultural influences because we are all a part of one culture, the culture of heaven that has come to earth through the work of Jesus Christ in our lives.  You see, culture is what this is all about.  God’s vision is not to call people out of the world who will spread a program, or an organization.  God has called people together from every part of the world to live and spread a culture, maybe even a counter-culture that reveals a greater set of values, and a higher world-view than anything promoted among man.

This culture of God stands out from the world and shows the lifestyle to which God has called us.  That is why Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden (Matt. 5:14).”  The church is responsible to shine ALL the light she receives from Jesus Christ.  He lives among us and instills within us the values held by all the hosts of heaven.  C.E. Orr taught us, “He was the light of the world in his incarnation, and now the church, his body, is the light of the world.  Incarnate he was a light because of his purity and power, and he lives the same pure life and manifests the same marvelous power in his body, the church…”  We wonder why we see so little of the power of God at work in the lives of His people today, but we so seldom allow His culture (taught in Bible doctrines) to permeate our lives.  But God’s intention goes much further than that.  This culture must become so much a part of our lives that it follows us everywhere we go.  The culture of heaven should be the culture of our homes, the culture of our workplace, the culture of our relationship, and yes, even the culture of our congregations.  That is why Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” 

Jesus did not come to establish a culture of independence from God’s word as some are teaching today.  He did not come to usher in a culture of independence from God’s holy standard.  But He did come to show us something more, something greater.  He came to raise us to the heights of heaven during this life on earth.  He came to live the culture of heaven here among man, and to empower us to live that very same culture everywhere we go.  He taught us through His nights spent in prayer a culture of dependence on the power and provision of God.  He taught us in His work with His disciples a culture of perseverance.  He showed us through miracles and healing a culture of empowerment.  And He displayed through the resurrection a culture of victory.  The church has been left with the charge of carrying this culture into all the world, and creating it wherever we go.  Is that happening?

We spend a lot of time praying for our needs and our personal relationship with God, and we should, those things are very important.  But how much time do we spend looking at, and praying over God’s vision for all of us together – the church?  As we search for direction and vision it is imperative that remember what God has already revealed to us.  We spend so much time trying to re-invent the wheel, and so little time looking for a great move of God through which He will establish His vision.  In a day when we literally have the world at our fingertips, and unmatched potential for personal and corporate growth, we must be continually more careful to make sure that the vision we are pursuing is a vision that comes from God.  The church can no longer afford to release uncontrollable beasts into the world.  How long has it been since you have spent time at an altar praying for something bigger than yourself?  As the world speeds on at a torrid pace toward hell, are you willing to cast yourself at an altar and pray for the one hope, the body of Christ – the church?