Church. What comes to mind when you read or hear that word? Your images, whether positive or negative, come from your own experiences, or from what you have read, or from what you have seen portrayed through media. Your images also are effected by what country you live in, or, if you are in the United States, what part of this country you live in. Church. Rather than take our information from our messed up, fallen world and cultures, why not glean information from Peter, the apostle appointed by Jesus Himself to begin her building? Peter explains to his readers what the reality of "church" is. Let's listen.
Read 1 Peter 2: 4 - 12
What can we learn about the church?
1. The church is community. Peter calls it a spiritual house whose foundation and corner stone is Jesus Himself. It really is not any physical building - not the grand cathedrals or the quaint country houses that have provided meeting places for the people of God. It is a spiritual house. And the building blocks are not stones or bricks or wood, but individual believers. Cranfield writes:
"The free-lance Christian, who would be a Christian but is too superior to belong to the visible church upon earth in one of its forms, is simply a contradiction in terms."
None of us are naive about 'church'. I know well that our churches made up of humans are messy at best. I know they fail often. I know they disappoint. I know they fall short of the ideal. I know her members sin and bring reproach on her name. I know some have been judgmental and practiced exclusivity and exclusion. Yet they are to be the visible form of what is a spiritual reality. And I also know Christ left this earth physically and left the church to live out His life in their unique places. I know they matter. And I know that each of us, as believers, need her. And she needs us. After all, a brick by itself is pretty useless. One cannot build a building with a solo brick.
Church is community. Are you part of one?
2. The church is a community of priests. All of her people are to be priests. Peter said we are to be a holy priesthood. Remember that Peter was a Jewish man and as such, would have been schooled in the Mosaic law and history. His language here echoes back to God's words to Moses about the Israelites. The Israelites had a purpose ... God-given ... and God described it to Moses atop Mount Sinai with these words:
"Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Exodus 19: 5 - 6)
So what is a priest? Centuries of church history and denominational differences have created a false sense of the word. We see it more as a special rank than a universal position. We see it more as a seminary appointed task than the privileged place of service for all believers. Our eyesight is skewed. What is a priest?
a. A priest is one with access to God. And every believer has access to the throne of God. The Hebrews writer said:
"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence ..." (Hebrews 4:16)
You can do that ... yourself ... because Jesus is your High Priest and has given you, as a priest, access. He is your mediator. He opened the door ...
b. Not only may we go before God on our own behalf, we can bring others before that very throne as well. In Latin, the word 'priest' is 'pontifex' - which means bridge-builder. You can bring all the ones you love and care about before God ... and talk with Him about them ... and trust Him with them. Do you? Are you a priest for them?
c. A priest presents the offerings before God. That was his work. So what are our 'offerings'? Our work - all for God. Our worship - all about God. Our self - a living sacrifice to God. (Romans 12:1). Have you presented offering to God today?
Church is made up of priests. If you are a believer, you are one.
Do you do the work of a priest?
3. The church has a purpose. Peter said it was "to declare the praises of Him who called you ..." Yes, there will be teaching and caring for the poor. There will be evangelizing and supporting one another. There will be training children and caring for her elderly. But ALL is to the praise of God. ALL is because of His work in each of our lives. ALL.
Are you, as a living stone in the church, fulfilling your purpose? If not, why not?
In spite of the portrayal that most movies give of "Christians", it is the most beautiful way to live a life. Peter uses picturesque language in these verses to describe exactly what being a Christian means. He said,
Being Christian means you have been removed from the place of darkness and placed securely in the place of light. Living in the light ...
Being Christian means you have been removed from meaningless, insignificant existence and placed securely in the place of significance. My life matters ...
Being Christian means you have been removed from having to live without mercy and placed securely in the place of mercy. Mercy from God ... toward you.
Church. The following excerpt came from a blog post from the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ during the Lenten season, 2014:
The greatest buildings on earth will one day crumble to the ground. Nothing built by man lasts forever. Because the temple God is building is made of living stones, it will never be destroyed. It will never crumble and it will never need renovation. And we who believe are part of it. Every Christian is part of God's temple.
You can always tell when a new building is being constructed by the massive scaffolding that encircles the new building as it rises from the ground. As long as you see the scaffolding, you know the building isn't finished. The scaffolding is the last thing to go. But when it is removed, you know the building is finished. Every local church is part of the visible scaffolding around the invisible temple God has been building. When the final living stone has been placed in the temple, the scaffolding will come tumbling down, the trumpet will sound, the archangel will shout, and we will get the see the grand work God has been doing for the last twenty centuries.
Church ... it is indeed a beautiful word!
