What Now? (Matt. 16:13-18, Lk. 6:46-49)
It’s no secret that the Covid-19 pandemic has hit churches hard. All churches, all over the world. Especially in America, where the pandemic has combined with social & civil unrest, churches have struggled to find their footing & maintain their identities & their focus. A. It’s no secret that it has hit US hard. Anyone who was part of the GA church 6 mos ago knows that we are not the same church we were then. Churches are always evolving & changing, b/c people come & go, & every time someone does, we’re not the same church. B. But due to the pandemic, change has taken place with warp speed, giving us little time to adapt or catch our breath. But we’re 6 mos. into it, & it’s time to take stock of where we are & where we’re going. C. The pandemic & all that went with it exposed some cracks that were already there, some of which we knew were there but had ignored, & others we didn’t see, & much of what we thought we were collapsed. D. When all of this 1st started, found myself praying that God would get us back to what we were in early March – get us back to “normal.” E. But then I realized that wasn’t a good prayer. That maybe God has more in mind for us than just being what we were, that our “normal” might not be good enough for Him. Maybe He wants us to be MORE than we were, better than we were. So now I have a new prayer. (1) My original prayer was for the church to go back to what I liked & was comfortable with. (2) Now my prayer is that God will show us what He wants us to be, & guide us into being made in His image, not our own. F. Someone put it well in one of our adult classes not long ago: “May- be God is giving us an opportunity to become more than we ever would have been had the pandemic not occurred.” Maybe this is all a wake-up call to the church to get as close to God as we can get & let Him strengthen us, b/c – who knows – there may be even more struggles ahead than we have seen yet.
1. The pandemic may have made us unsure of a lot of things, but one thing we can be absolutely certain of: while there may be cracks in our faith, there are NONE in the Foundation of our faith.
A. B/c that Foundation is none other than Jesus Christ Himself! Now if our foundation is something else, we’re in trouble. But if it’s truly Jesus, we can’t lose. B. Lk. 6 – Can’t build a house w/out a solid foundation, but if your foundation is solid, nothing can bring down that house! – “Everyone who comes to me & hears my words & does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep & laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house & could not shake it, b/c it had been well built. But the one who hears & does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground w/out a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, & the ruin of that house was great” (6:47-49). C. Mt. 16:18 – Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ, Son of the Living God, & Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church, & the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Get that? The “gates of hell!” Pandemic is bad & the rioting is bad, but nowhere close to “gates of hell.” When we’re built on the Rock, we can take it! D. 1 Cor. 3:10-11. “According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, & someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” E. The “Foundation” – Jesus, God’s own Son – has been given to us. Up to us to “build on it.” And when we do, can’t fail. (1) Note: What we’re engaged in here isn’t just a “reopening” of the church, but a “rebuilding” of the church. EX: Starting over after a tornado. (2) What we had is largely gone – but the Foundation is still firm. So what we need to do is lay hold of that Foundation, start there, & build on it. When we do, can’t go wrong!
2. “So what is it exactly that we need to do?”
A. Simple: We need to make sure that we are disciples of Jesus, & not just “members of the church.” (1) “But I thought they were the same thing!” Acts 2:47 – Believers were “added to their number” (the church). (2) Absolutely correct. When you turn to Christ in repentance & baptism, He adds you to His people, the church. (3) But there’s a huge difference in seeing yourself as a “member of an organization” vs. as the “follower of a person.” B. “Member” is an organizational term. Identifies your place in a group, a part of the larger body. And a Chr. IS part of the “body of Christ.” So that part is true enough. C. “Disciple” is a relational term. It means you orient your whole life around someone. Someone who shapes your thinking, your priorities, your behavior. (1) In NT, followers of Jesus are called “disciples” far more often than “Christians” or “members.” (See esp. Acts.) (2) Classic def. of “disciple” = “learner,” but more to it than that. Far more. (3) A disciple attaches himself/herself to a teacher to learn from Him & imitate His life. Not just “learner,” but “imitator.” A kind of “apprentice,” but much more. (4) an “apprentice” goes home at the end of the day; a disciple lives in the Master’s presence 24×7, learning, following, & imitating. (5) So when you’re at work, you’re a disciple of Jesus. When you’re at school…at home…engaging in recreation – what- ever you’re doing – you’re a follower of Jesus first & foremost, before you are anything else. (6) So we need to think of ourselves, not just as members of the Jesus club,” but as followers of Jesus, personally attached to Him, sitting at His feet day by day. (7) EX: I’m a member at Sam’s Club. I have a card & everything. It gives me access to all the goods & services that Sam offers. But I am not a disciple of Sam! B/c when I’m not in one of Sam’s stores, he has no relevance for my life whatsoever. (I’ve never even met Sam!) (8) But as a disciple of Jesus, there is nothing I do, nowhere I go, nothing that I am or will ever become, that is not affected by my decision to follow Jesus Christ. D. Being a disciple means putting into practice what we learn from Him. Lk. 6:46: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ & not do what I tell you?” Discipleship is serious business. – It’s about obedience, not re pleasing ourselves, but pleasing Him. E. And when you’re a disciple, & the worst happens that life can throw at you, you’re not thrown off course by it. (Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, but you still have your bearings.) (1) Why? B/c no matter what, you’re still following Him. He’s still in control, & you know that, & know you can trust Him to see you through. (2) Heb. 12:1-2. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, & sin which clings so closely, & let us run with endurance the race that is st before us, looking to Jesus, the founder & perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, & is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (3) “Looking to Jesus” – That’s the key to it all. That’s the key to being the person God wants you to be, & that’s the key to being the church God wants us to be.
3. So what do we need to do now?
This type of generic viagra in italy medicine is cheaper than the previous one. Particularly, the viagra cheap usa find out that natural methods are very much effective to overcome this dilemma. For the adults, the Festival starts with the treatments which are least invasive and further starts giving more invasive therapies when there cialis generic viagra is a wellbeing related issue, it should be given the best treatment for correction. They are probably using them for not getting erections is cialis on line http://www.heritageihc.com/staff-carroll no blood being supplied to your penis. A. Individually, we need to commit ourselves to being genuine disciples. Not just “members of the GA church,” but followers of Jesus. B. Remember that, when Jesus gave the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20), He said, “Go & make disciples” – not, “Go & make church members.” C. And He said to do that by “baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, & teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (1) So if you haven’t yet been baptized, you need to do that. Can’t start on the discipleship journey until you do. (2) But beyond that, “being taught.” That can be both being taught by others, but also being taught by God’s Word via your own study. (3) Suggestion: Start reading the Gospels (especially Matthew), & notice what Jesus did, how He obeyed the will of His Father, how He interacted with other people, how He prayed, what He taught – & just do that. It isn’t complicated, but it requires seriousness of purpose. D. Starting next week, we’re going to be studying Discipleship & what it means & how to follow Jesus, taking our cues mostly from the Gos of Matt. (“Matt.” by the way = from Grk word for “disciple.”) E. In the class that will follow, we’ll talk about that further – what it looks like to follow Jesus, the challenges, the blessings, & the sacrifices involved. F. Hopefully, we will all gradually find ourselves becoming more & more like Jesus – genuine “disciples” – Jesus-followers. People whose whole lives are directed toward knowing their Lord more fully & living for Him in all the ways He wants us to do.
That’s where we go from here: back to the Foundation of our faith. Back to the perfect Lord & Savior, the One who gave everything for us, & who calls us to give everything for Him in return.
And when we do, we WILL be the church that God wants us to be.
You may be ready to start following Jesus today. If so, it will be our joy to hear you confess His name & assist you in being baptized into Him – so that you can start living the life of one for whom Jesus isn’t just “one thing,” but everything.
Tommy South
