Week 5 - Being a Member of the Church
Being a Christian means Being a member of the church
WHAT WE DISCUSSED ON SUNDAY IN REDEMPTION YOUTH
Sunday we continued answering, “What does it mean to be a Christian?” by learning how being a Christian means being a member of the Church. (It’s important to note that here we are talking about the global, universal Church of all Christians everywhere, not an individual, local church.) To help us understand the significance of being a member of the Church, we considered (1) what God intended for his people in the Old Testament, (2) how God’s intent for his people in the Old Testament carried on into the New Testament Church, and (3) how all of that shapes our lives and understanding of the Church’s purpose today.
What Did God Intend for His People in the Old Testament?
In the opening chapter of Genesis, God reveals his intent for the people he created. There we learn that, “God created humanity in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Gen. 1:27-28). What we see here is that God made people in his image, to be like him, and to represent him to the rest of creation through living in a way that promotes life on all the earth, through learning about and developing creation, and generally through caring for all of creation.
As we know, the first people do not fulfill their creation mandate and instead disobey God, which causes creation to be corrupted by death and destruction. In this corruption humanity becomes incapable of bearing God’s image rightly. Therefore, God chooses a specific people group (the descendants of Abraham—a.k.a. Israel) to represent him to the rest of the world in such a way that the rest of the world would come to know God.
Though the people of Israel were to represent God to the world, they did so poorly. Rather than live as God instructed them to live, the Israelites turned from God over and over again, and failed to be a light of hope and life to the nations.
What is the Church’s Purpose in the New Testament?
After Israel’s inability to rightly live as God’s representatives to the world, God himself becomes human to be the perfect representative Israel never was. As incarnate God, Jesus lived a perfect life, died our death, and raised himself to new life, after which he called his disciples to be his witnesses and representatives to the rest of the world.
One question we may be asking ourselves right now is, “So, what is the Church?” And really, the answer to this question is not as simple as we may think, in part because it has been muddled by our culture and our Bible translations. Our culture has made it confusing by adopting phrases like, “Let’s go to church,” or “What a beautiful church.” And our Bible translations have made it confusing by regularly translating the Greek word “ekklesia” (ἐκκλησία) not into assembly, gathering, community, or congregation, (all of which are clearer translations of what the word actually means) but into “church.” As a result, many today think of church more similarly to how first century Jews thought of temple: namely, that it is the place one goes to be in the presence of God and to worship. The reality, though, is that the Church is the community of people who follow Jesus. Indeed this community worships together, prays together, stands in God’s presence together, and meets in buildings to do so, however, it is the people who make up the Church, not the building in which they gather.
Now, given that the Church is the community of people who follow Jesus, what is the Church’s purpose? If we consider 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, we read from Paul that the Church is a body composed of many members. In this body each member has a unique role and each role is needed for the body to function properly. In other words, the Church is meant to represent Jesus to the rest of the world, and this representation happens as each member plays their part, in order that the whole can function properly. And the amazing point that Paul makes about this body is that “the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor… [in such a way that] if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor. 12:22, 26). Paul’s point is that every member is of vital importance for the overall health of the whole body, and this body exists together in such a way that the pains of one become the pains of all and the joy of one becomes the joy of all.
Key note about 1 Corinthians 12: Whereas we (in America) value our individualism and our purpose as people who define ourselves for ourselves, God made people (and his church) to be dependent upon and in relationship to one another. In other words, we were created to live for the good of those around us in everything that we do, and the Church functions in this way. Therefore, the Church is not a place where individuals go to better themselves, the Church is the community of Jesus, where individuals serve to better those around them, which will in turn make the individual’s life better. In this way, the rhetoric of expressive individualism—where the individual is their own highest authority and creator of their own truth—has little place in the community of Jesus.
How Should the Above Shape Our Lives and Understanding of the Church Today?
In light of what we’ve seen above, we should understand the following:
As followers of Jesus, we are members of the Church, and we represent God to the rest of the world.
As members of the Church, we have specific roles, which—when combined together—benefit the whole Church and surrounding world.
As individuals, we are made for community in such a way that everything we do affects those around us for good or for evil.
HOW TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION AT HOME
Take a moment this week to ask your kid(s) what they think the Church is and where they think they fit into the Church. If they are not sure where they fit in, suggest that they serve at Redemption in some capacity (email me HERE if there is an interest in serving). Serving is a great way to start to figure out one’s passions, giftedness, and abilities. If you or your kid(s) want to serve but are not sure where or how, please email me anyways so I can help in that process.