The Church: Intro

Here’s the brief intro I gave to our current series, The Church, on June 14th, 2020:

Well, I’ve had an extended break from the pulpit over the past several weeks. But I’m looking forward to getting back up here next week. And, as I do, we’re going to launch into a special, summer series. It’ll be called “The Church: Embracing Our Identity as the People of God.” We’ll look at six different metaphors we see in the New Testament for the church of Jesus. 

Here’s my hope from the series - first, that we’ll end up with a deeper appreciation for what we have - and what we’ve been missing - during this crazy time - as members of the family of God. 

And, second, it’s my prayer we’ll come back stronger - embracing our identity together, committing ourselves to live it out like never before.

Now at its most basic level, the word “church” refers to the gathering or assembly or congregation of God’s people. Sometimes in God’s word, it refers to the congregation of believers around the world - the universal church. But most of the time, it refers to a congregation of believers in a city - the local church.   

Typically, this gathering of God’s people comes together for an actual gathering. On Sundays. This is what the church has always done - and of course, usually on Sunday, remembering Christ’s resurrection. That’s why I think so many of us are disoriented, why we’re struggling right now. Because God has given us this rhythm for our good.

But, of course, the church is much bigger than that - that’s why we’re not talking about a Reopening - we’ve never been closed - but a Regathering - when we all come back to worship together. But the church is a people before it’s an event. Our shorthand in Karis has always been this: we’re a gospel community on mission.

But I think we learn so much more about the church as we examine the metaphors we see in Scripture. What’s a metaphor again? It’s a word picture. Where we describe one thing by calling it another thing - and not something that’s literally true about that thing. For example, if I call Pastor Rob an administrative machine, I’m not saying he’s actually a piece of machinery. I’m saying that he’s really efficient and proficient at performing administrative tasks. 

Well, over the coming weeks, we’re going to look at six metaphors we see in the New Testament for the church. And they teach us a lot about how we’re to think of ourselves and how we’re supposed to live. You’ve probably heard most of them:

we’re a family

we’re a temple

we’re a body

we’re a field 

we’re a flock

we’re a bride  

Now there might be a few others we could hit on, also. But these are the main ones, the ones that we’ll focus on. But after doing a lot of study on the church as a family a few years ago, it really left me with a big question. Is family really a metaphor? Or not? I know we’re not literally a flock. I know we’re not actually a field. Right? But aren’t we truly a family? Yes, all related in Adam, as human beings. But more importantly, brought together in Christ by the Spirit?

Well, this week, I read this helpful article by a seminary professor - who actually used to be in my youth group back in the day - a guy named Patrick Schreiner. He says that metaphors both describe and create a reality. He writes, “God has conferred authoritative and trustworthy metaphors to live by. He is shaping our imagination, our conceptual system, and consequently constructs reality for us by using language. In a sentence, metaphors in Scripture both describe what is real and create it through the metaphor itself.”

So, the Bible says we’re a family. That’s true. It expands our understanding of the church beyond maybe what we think. And as we live it out - more and more - it becomes even more real for us. Take the familiar metaphor that we’re His body. In some way, that’s really true. And the more we try to make it real in us, the more true it becomes. More connected, supported. 

Paul writes this in 1 Timothy 3:14 — “if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” In this trying age, the Lord wants us to understand who we are. And as a result, live in a certain way. Rooted in the gospel. Reaching out to our city. And He’s given us these rich metaphors to understand who we’re meant to be. And how we’re to live. Join us next week, as we begin diving in them together, asking God to transform us by them. Let’s pray.