The Church, Part 3

Revelation 19:7 informs us that Christ’s intention is to present His bride to Himself “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle . . . holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). Such work can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit, but what does that work look like?

Paul wrote, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints” (Colossians 1:24–26).

Observe three powerful truths in this statement: (1) Paul was Christ’s instrument for the sake of His body. This service involved suffering, which one can easily determine about Paul from reading Acts and his letters. Nevertheless, Paul rejoiced in his hardships because he recognized that his service was Christ’s means to advance His goals for the church.

(2) Advancing these goals was seen as “filling up” what was “lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body.” This must not be regarded as an insufficiency in Christ’s cross work; there was nothing lacking in His substitutionary suffering for His own. This lacking refers to what believers understood of their participation—what they would endure until Christ’s return. This was how the church’s claims would be fully vindicated. They would suffer, not to contribute anything to their redemption, but because of it. This transformational process (becoming holy and without blemish) requires this. Sufferings complete what is lacking in the sense that Christ’s body shares His suffering (2 Corinthians 1:5; note also 4:10).

(3) Paul saw himself as a minister (diaconos, a royal servant, an errand boy) with a stewardship to be fulfilled in behalf of the King. To be effective, Paul gave up everything he previously valued (Philippians 3:8–9) so that “I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10, 11). Again, Paul was not worried about his spot in the resurrection. Rather, he understood that suffering like Christ now in His service was the spiritual evidence that he would be raised like Christ at His coming.

Paul informed the church that his suffering and service was God’s means to benefit them. They would understand the glorious mystery of the ages, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). In this way, understanding and evidencing this truth, the church would be presented mature in Christ. That is goal of Christ’s suffering, as noted above. For this goal, Paul states “I toil [laboring to exhaustion] with all his energy that he powerfully works with me” (v. 29). Again, it was not Paul but the Spirit working through him. He did not tell them his experience to brag, but to illustrate what they also would experience, if they truly belonged to Christ.

The Church, Part 2

     We are looking at how the New Testament defines what a church is and comparing that with what we find in our church and other churches that exist in our generation. In Part One we focused on Paul’s descriptive in Colossians 1:21–23, which emphasizes the Lord’s purpose to “reconcile to himself all things” (v. 20). God, through Christ, has reconciled a host of alienated sinners into His body, the church (see v. 18) in order to present them holy and blameless before Him. That is what a church is supposed to look like—a body of redeemed rebels, blood-bought, Spirit-filled, and spiritually growing people being sanctified to look like their head and Savior, Jesus Christ, whom they devotedly follow (Romans 8:29, 30).

     The average church in the culture looks nothing like this. Every community has several religious organizations that claim to be Christ’s church. Each asserts to represent exclusively and accurately the truth of Scripture but in his own particular denominational twist. Although, often these churches will suppress the denominational identification, opting for general nondenominational names, such as Triumphant Outreach, Agape Fellowship, Living Waters, or other similar appellations. They are, however, corporate entities (businesses) organized with officers, by-laws, and objectives and will do whatever is expedient to promote growth and revenue. These entities are, in turn, measured by humanistic standards such as attendance size, popularity of the pastoral staff and programs, and the nature and size of buildings and property. Indeed, most people identify a church with a location and building.

     The only eyes with which the church is to be occupied belong to the One described in Revelation as having eyes “like a flame of fire” in a face “like the sun shining in full strength” (Revelation 1:14, 16). He is “the first and the last, the living one” (v. 17; see Isaiah 41:4). He has the keys of Death and Hell (v. 18). It must never matter what any man thinks of a particular congregation, but only what the Sovereign One thinks.

     It is significant to notice that John, the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:7, 20), “fell at His feet as though dead” (Revelation 1:17) when He saw His Lord in this glorious vision. Is it not ironic that most church members presume that Jesus is only lovingly tolerant and indulgent with them when it comes to their distracted and half-hearted devotion and service to Him? Such people cannot endure the truth and will hop from one congregation to another in an effort to satisfy their egos with self-gratifying entertainment posing as worship.

     Before the Lord returns for His bride, Revelation 19:7 declares that “His bride has made herself ready.” If Jesus is to present His church to Himself “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle . . . holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27), His bride needs some radical alterations.  It is time for those whom the Lord has reconciled to Himself to pursue this course of preparation through holiness and godliness by separating from the world, uniting in loving and singular devotion to Christ, obediently serving Him as a true people of God, and shining forth as His lights in the world.

The Church, Part 1

Most people identify a church with a location and building. How does the Bible identify a church? Read Colossians 1:21–23 and carefully notice who Paul is addressing: “And you” (pronoun second person plural) refers to the collective—the believers in Colossae, the church, a particular congregation (ecclesia, an assembly), not individuals and not a building. This collective is identified by the former, present, and future condition of its members. They “once were alienated [from God] and hostile in mind [toward the things of God], doing evil deeds [in disobedience to God]” (v. 21). However, through the gospel, these are “now reconciled in [Christ’s] body of flesh [the church] by his death.” (Note 1:20 where Paul states that Christ is to reconcile all things, making peace by the blood of His cross.) His goal is to present the church “holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (v. 22; Ephesians 5:26, 27). However, there is a condition: “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard” (v. 23). Is this a warning to individual believers? That would be a mistake, for it is a church thing. Here is where one must focus if he is to understand the current church problem.

If Christ saves a person, it is forever (John 10:27–30). He cannot fall away. Churches, however, can fall away, as evidenced in Revelation 2 and 3. Congregations can be overrun by false believers, deceived through false doctrine, and infiltrated by false teachers. This has been the problem since the church began. For example, Paul admonished the elders from Ephesus: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:28–32).

The church is compared to a flock needing care and protection, not a corporation that uses people in order to prosper. The church is a collective of redeemed and reconciled people struggling against sin and rebellion in the slow and painful process of sanctification. The church is a body of people sharing the same burdens in their joint pursuit of holiness. The church is an army of spiritual warriors standing shoulder to shoulder against principalities and powers, striving together and persevering in prayer. The church’s condition depends on God and His grace, not human programs and means. Read again Colossians 1:21–23 and study this passage and learn to think of the church in biblical terms.