Church.
O.K. now be honest. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you see that word? Does the mere mention of church bring about a positive response or a negative one? Does it bring about feelings of love, acceptance and excitement? Or do you feel a sense of judgment, exclusivity, and ritualistic boredom. When you picture it in your mind, what does it look like? Is it an old building with stained glass windows and wooden pews? Or does it look more like a shopping mall; a one-stop religious shopping experience catering to your every need. Because of our unique experiences, there are very few words in the English language that have the ability to create more emotion and passion (good or bad) than the simple word 'church'.
But what did Jesus want his church to look like. What was the dream that Jesus had for his church? Is it what we have created it to be? Or is his idea of church somehow very different than ours? It's actually surprising how often we forget (or choose to forget) to consider these questions.
In Matthew 16, we see that Jesus is moving closer to the end of his life on earth. He knows that he will soon be arrested, tried, beaten, ridiculed, abandoned, and nailed to a cross to die. Understanding the urgency of each moment, Jesus takes his disciples on a road trip. He leads these young guys (probably teenagers) on a three day journey by foot to the city of Caesarea Philippi. Now, Caesarea Philippi was known around the world for one thing: a rock. But not just any ordinary rock. This rock was a massive sized boulder reaching 15-20 stories tall. Carved out within this massive rock was a natural cave that was filled with water.
Now every year, at a certain time, smoke and steam would pour out of this massive rock from the deep water within. It was believed by the people of Caesarea Philippi that the cave was a doorway or gate to the underground world –the place that we would call Hell. And that the steam was actually the Spirits of the dead traveling back and forth; from hell to earth and back to hell again. Because of this belief, the cave was known as "the Gates of Hell". Every year during the same time, tens of thousands of people would gather around this rock and worship the dead gods of the underworld. Their worship would include such things as human sacrifices (including children) self mutilation, and sexual acts that are just too warped to mention in this blog. All performed to please the dead spirits of Hell. This culture brought about a society filled with depravity, poverty, hunger, injustice and crime. This was obviously an area that no God fearing, self respecting, religious person would ever be caught dead in. And yet this is the place where Jesus chooses to show his disciples what he means when he says ‘church’. With this in mind, let's listen in to the conversation that Jesus has with his disciples in Matthew 16.
When Jesus came to the city of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
"But what about you?" He asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven, and I tell you that you are Peter (which means rock) and on this rock I will build my church and the very Gates of Hell will not overcome it!"
Jesus is saying that his church is not meant to be just a building. It was never meant to be a safe place where we can huddle together, far away from the outside world, spiritually feed ourselves while ignoring the pain, and needs of those around us. Jesus is saying that we need to be the church in a world that, more than ever, desperately longs to experience a Christ-like love. A dangerous love that looks out for the interests of others, instead of ourselves. A love that isn't afraid to get our hands dirty fighting for and caring about the things God cares about. A love that lives out the life of Jesus everyday! When we start becoming the Church that Jesus dreamed it could be, nothing will be able to stop us from changing the world - not even the very Gates of Hell.
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10 comments:
Scott -I can't tell you how I've struggled with this exact topic. But something I am learning is that I am the church, and I have control over my actions. I can live my life loving and caring for others. Maybe even if it is not being challenged to us at our church we are can lead by example and challenge others through our life. Hopefully, living this way we can bring about this change.
Thanks Heather.
We're at a time in history where things are slowly beginning to change. People are beginning to see church as not merely something we go to, but something we "are".
This change of thinking in the Christian community will not happen overnight (and it will be met with both joy and hostility) But it's God's dream for His church - and I believe it's worth fighting for.
I agree - Change is never easy, but it is an exciting time that change is beginning to happen. Keep up the great blogs, they are thought provoking and I really enjoy them.
Scott- not to toot the parenting class results- but church is praying around a table in a Leo's Coney with Emma saying grace. Thank you and Dee.
-ktg
Scott Scott Scott, I'm a guy I can't read that much its way too long!!!
Um.... do you have any cliff notes?
Here's the cliff notes version:
1.Jesus took His disciples to Caeserea Philippi.
2.It was a really rough place.
3.Jesus wants us to be the church in a world that desperatley needs His love.
Wow,this is so much easier!
I should do my messages like this. Everyone would love it - they'd get out of service like fifty minutes early.
Scott-
I am challenged daily to try to be that "church" of which Jesus spoke. I have never been a fan of the "holy huddle"...I think part of the process of drawing closer to Christ is getting over yourself and putting others first...I'm still working on that.
the word "church" used to make me think of boredom. over the last couple years that has changed alot. church is now something i cling to, something i need, something i look forward to. i'm not going to lie and say i don't think of a building with a cross on it when the word comes to mind, but i know it is much more than that. at our life group meetings i think you describe it wonderfully, that WE are the church, not the building. i hope going out into the community as a church more often will help me realize that. it's slow in coming, but i think i'm beginning to understand that i, along with God, can be a church to people who have never been to the "church" building, it's really a struggle to try to live that way and be open and honest to everyone about my relationship with Christ, but with help from "church" and group and all the people like you and dee helping me, i hope to keep treking the path and making progress every day
"Getting over yourself"... that's a great way of putting it. In a world where everything is about our own personal wants, needs, and rights, it can be easy to forget that the whole point of Jesus' message is about "others".
Kate, Thanks for the compliment about Emma. To be honest, there are moments when we think our kids should be nominated for "The best children in the world award" and then there are those times when we wonder if having kids was even a good idea. It's all a journey.
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