I found a decorated piece of paper posted on the wall in my daughter’s room. It said, “Rogers Sisters Club”. Under the club name I read their pledge, “I promise to be kind, loving, patshet, and agree abowl.” I immediately became a fan of the Rogers Sisters Club. I wasn’t judging my kids on their ability to market their club or to perfectly keep their club pledge. As a father, I smiled to see my children aim for lofty relational ideals, even if they couldn’t spell them.
I got a small glimpse of the heart of our Father when he looks at his church, the club his children belong to. His heart must be thrilled when we live as a family, like the Rogers Sisters Club. Or when he sees us aim to be a community that is “kind, loving, patshet, and agree abowl”. God’s not concerned with the spelling either. His focus is not on polished programs or big buildings. He isn’t stressed about the budget or if we could have dressed a bit nicer for the worship service. These images are a massive reduction of God’s ideal for the church.
We need some better images. What could church be? The enormous potential value of church is seen in the Biblical images of a family, a body, and a bride.
Belong to a Family!
Everybody is looking for belonging. The Church offers that!
“The church is God’s family; adopted by Him as children, its members live on the basis of the new covenant.”
SDA Fundamental Belief #12
We base these beliefs on scriptures like…
Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God
John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
1 John 3:1-2 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.
This is not just figurative talk. There is literal belonging in the family.
The New Testament was written in a Roman culture. Rome had a strong legal system around adoption. A prominent example is when Nero was adopted by Emperor Claudius. This gave Nero full rights of succession as a true son of Claudius. In their culture, adoption did not produce a second-class family member. He was a legitimate heir to the emperor. But Nero wasn’t the only son. He gained political advantage by marrying Claudius’ daughter, Octavia. Though it was purely a political maneuver and they were not related by blood, the senate required that Octavia legally become part of another family to avoid incest. In their culture adoption did not produce a partial family member. They were siblings.
Three years later, with these political events fresh in cultural memory, Paul wrote to the Romans, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” Romans 8:14-17
We are adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:5). We are not second-class or partial family members.
“The church is the community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. In continuity with the people of God in Old Testament times, we are called out from the world…”
SDA Fundamental Belief #12
God called Abram and his descendants to be his people (Gen. 12:3). When we are adopted we are just as much a part of the family as Abraham.
When God welcomes us into the family, he also calls us out of our sinful culture.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
Have you ever heard the word “ecclesiology”? It refers to the study of the church. The Greek term “ecclesia” means assembly and it is used 114 times in the New Testament. It is the only single Greek word used for “church”. We are an assembly. A quick dip into Greek grammar offers a fuller picture. The prefix “ecc” means “out” and the word “kaleo” means “call”. The literal meaning of ecclesia is “those who are called out”.
There was another piece of Roman Law that benefited the one being adopted. When they became part of their new family their past was legally forgotten. If they had debts, they were cancelled. The person they were didn’t exist anymore.
The church offers this radical belonging that calls us out of the dark place where we once belonged and brings us into the family where we really belong.
Accept the invitation to belong to the family. Invite others into that belonging.
Behave as a Body!
When I say “behave” I don’t mean obedience. I mean how we live, what we do. Everybody is looking for placement and purpose to guide their behavior. The Church offers that!
“The church is the body of Christ, a community of faith of which Christ Himself is the Head.”
SDA Fundamental Belief #12
Ephesians 4:15-16 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
First. let’s talk about the head. Christ as our head puts us in the right place. We are all searching for a leader. We crave the security of a father figure. We are drawn to superstars and heroes, we need someone bigger than us to look to. We find that under the headship of Christ.
One function of the head is to be that supreme figure that we grow toward! (Ephesians 4:15; 1: 20-22)
Another function is to hold us together! (Ephesians 4:16; Colossians 1:17-18)
Our culture has lost its head! We don’t know who to look to. We are not holding it together. We are displaced. The church puts us back into place, under the headship of Christ.
Now, about the body. A look back at Ephesians 4:16 shows us that a healthy body requires each part to be doing their work properly. We behave in pointless and frustrated ways when we don’t have purpose.
There is a wonderful section of scripture in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 about the body being one with many parts. It describes a community of unity and diversity (v.13). There is no division (v. 25). We all win together and lose together (v.26). Each part has its necessary function and is dependent upon the other (vv. 14-22).
That is a team we all want to be a part of. We crave to be needed, to be led well, to contribute to something that is making a difference. The church offers that.
There are specific things we do as a body. Our statement of belief summarizes these behaviors by saying, “we join together for worship, for fellowship, for instruction in the Word, for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, for service to humanity, and for the worldwide proclamation of the gospel.” SDA Fundamental Belief #12
These are Biblical marks of the church. This is what we do as a body. This is where we find placement and purpose to guide our behaviors.
Accept the invitation to behave as a body. Invite others into that placement and purpose.
Be Loved as a Bride!
Everybody is looking for love and hope. The Church offers that!
“The church is the bride for whom Christ died that He might sanctify and cleanse her. At His return in triumph, He will present her to Himself a glorious church, the faithful of all the ages, the purchase of His blood, not having spot or wrinkle, but holy and without blemish.”
SDA Fundamental Belief #12
Alright men. We just have to get past the unnatural gender reference and know that this is the transforming love we crave.
Consider a few verses and decide for yourself if you can get excited about being a bride.
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Isaiah 62:5 As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
Revelation 19:7-9 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure.
As Christ’s bride we are made pure!
As Christ’s bride we are made ready for his return!
As Christ’s bride we are celebrated!
As Christ’s bride we celebrate our God!
As Christ’s bride we are invited to supper!
Accept the invitation to be loved as a bride. Invite others into that love.
Belong to a Family! Behave as a Body! Be Loved as a Bride! These are better images of God’s ideal for the Church!
I’ve asked some local friends, “What organization would you love to see in the Mat-Su Valley and why?” I got some fun responses.
- Chick-Fil-A because they offer good food with an exceptional culture.
- Dollywood because it is a joyous environment, immaculate and affordable.
- World Vision Distribution Center because there is so much potential in partnering to help people.
- Hobby Lobby because they have good standards and crafts supplies.
- A bigger soup kitchen or food bank because people need it.
- Costco, so I would never have to go into Anchorage.
- Costco because it has bulk foods like the four pack of tofu. (This response added, “It would help me save money. It would also help me spend it.”)
- Marshals or Ross for quality clothing at a cheaper price.
- An excellent dry-cleaning service or shoe repair service to reduce replacement costs.
- A place to get the most nutritional foods possible because what you eat really does affect how you think and feel.
- A vegan restaurant to give more healthy options.
These organizations offer value to our community. They meet needs. If our local church lived out God’s ideal for the church, it would bring the most value of any organization in our community. Nothing else compares. Craft supplies don’t compare to belonging to a family. Shoe repair doesn’t compare to behaving as a body. Dollywood doesn’t compare to being loved as a bride.