Serving Jesus in His Church I. Prayer II. Introduction A. Ephesians 1:20-23: Jesus is head over all things to the church, which is His Body B. Ephesians 5:22-33: Jesus is Lord of the church, loved it, cherishes it; the church is to be in subjection to Jesus C. John 15:1-10: Jesus is the vine, and disciples are the branches; in Him they can live and abound, but without Him they can do nothing D. We thus frequently speak of the church being subject to Christ, but what does that look like? E. We do well to consider how we serve Jesus in His Church 1. What is the church? How does the church subject itself to Christ in terms of organization, doctrine, and the assembly? 2. What does it mean for the church to embody Jesus to the world? 3. What does it mean for Christians to embody Jesus among themselves, and how does such relate to the church? III. Serving Jesus as the Church A. We do well to first make plain what is to be meant when we speak of the “church,” since much confusion exists regarding the term 1. In English usage, “church” primarily refers to a building, and secondarily to a religious organization; neither meaning accurately reflects the original term 2. Greek ekklesia: a group of people constituting an assembly 3. Thus, the church is the group of people who belong to Jesus and who assemble frequently B. Since Jesus is head over all things to the church, the Lord of the church, and the church is to be subject to Christ in all things, the church must actively strive to maintain submission to Jesus in their organization and use of funds (Ephesians 1:20-23, 5:22-33) 1. Jesus empowered His Apostles to go and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom; the church is founded upon their witness of how Jesus would have His church organized and functioning (Luke 24:46-49, Acts 1:1-2:41, Ephesians 2:18-22) 2. The Apostles went about proclaiming the Gospel and established local congregations of believers who would frequently assemble (Acts 8:1-28:20, etc.); at no point did they create any institution or organization mediating between local churches and the collective Church of Christ; each local congregation was autonomous relative to one another 3. In local churches the Apostles or their associates appointed elders to shepherd and oversee that specific congregation (Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5-8); deacons were appointed to serve at the elders’ pleasure (Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:8-12); in the absence of qualified men to serve as elders congregations maintained their own affairs as a congregation (e.g. Acts 6:1-7, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13) 4. The early church in Jerusalem took up collections for those in need among them (Acts 4:32-37); Paul exhorted Christians to take up a collection to provide for Christians in need in other places (1 Corinthians 16:1-3, 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:13); Paul expected local churches to provide continual support to those who were “widows indeed” among them (1 Timothy 5:3-16); Paul expected those who preach the Gospel to make their living by the Gospel, which could include receiving support from the congregation with whom he is working or from other congregations providing support to him (1 Corinthians 9:1-15, Philippians 4:15-19); in their pursuit to edify one another, congregations would have incurred expenditures (1 Corinthians 14:26, Hebrews 10:24-25): such are the types of things which local congregations in the New Testament funded C. Likewise, when Christians are called to assemble to manifest the unity of the body of Christ in a given time and place, they must actively strive to maintain submission to the Lord Jesus in their work of edifying one another (1 Corinthians 14:26, Hebrews 10:25) 1. Christians assembled on the first day of the week to partake of the Lord’s Supper, to hear the Word proclaimed, likely to sing and to pray, and to take up whatever collections proved necessary (Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:1-3) 2. At other opportunities Christians would assemble to encourage one another in song, prayer, and the proclamation of the Word (Acts 2:46-47) 3. The local church assembled is to represent the pillar and support of the truth, the household of God (1 Timothy 3:15): the truth of what God accomplished in Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, ascension, lordship, and imminent return was to be proclaimed, and how God had worked in and through His people throughout time and how all such things found their complete embodiment and fulfillment in Jesus (cf. 2 Timothy 2:2, 3:14-17) 4. From a host of New Testament passages we are to understand how the Apostles established the assembly decently and in order, and Christians must respect that revelation and seek to maintain its spirit and doctrine in action (1 Corinthians 14:40) D. Christians and churches do well to emphasize the Lord’s sovereignty in all of these matters: untold numbers of variations of Christian faith and practice have sprouted forth as people have gone beyond what is written; we do better to make sure we have authority under Christ for the things which we believe, teach, and do (Colossians 3:17) 1. If what we do is more influenced by a later tradition, by culture, or by the current fad or what is deemed attractive at the moment, who is being served as Lord: Jesus, tradition, culture, or relevancy? 2. We will often feel constrained by the need for authority, yet such is precisely how subjection works: we are not the ones in charge; we are not calling the shots! 3. We can know from Scripture what is right, good, and authorized for our work in subjection to Jesus; if we look elsewhere, on what basis can we have confidence we remain under subjection to Him? E. Ultimately, the church is called upon to embody Christ as the living, manifest representation of His Body on the earth (Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-28, Ephesians 1:23) 1. We manifest the body of Christ as we assemble together, bear witness to what Jesus has done for us in His Supper, and proclaim His truth among ourselves and to the world (1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:26-29, 1 Timothy 3:15) 2. We manifest the body of Christ as we assemble and sing and pray together as one people, and share in the collection for our collective effort (1 Corinthians 14:15-17, 16:1-3, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16) 3. We manifest the body of Christ as we subject ourselves in all we teach and proclaim to the Lordship of Jesus and in His Gospel (Ephesians 5:23-33) 4. Yet, if we have manifest the body of Christ in all respects in our collective organization, work, and assembling, we have still not yet fully embodied Christ to the world and to one another! F. How, then, do we embody Jesus to the world and to one another? IV. Serving Jesus in His Body in the World A. In much of the world the work which is presumed the church should be doing looks essentially like a religious social welfare agency 1. People, organizations, and governments in the world look to the church to see what the church can do to serve their needs: assistance to the poor, hospitals, centers of education, perhaps a boost for a political party or position, etc. 2. They have been conditioned to this view thanks to the work of many in “Christendom” who have advocated for the church as a collective to be out providing these services 3. There is good in these services; they ought to be done; and yet, as we have seen, Jesus did not empower His church to participate in such things as a collective B. As a result of the distortions of the work of the church and the purpose of the church in the world as propagated in the world and among many in Christendom, we have tended to respond by sharply delineating realms: the realm of the individual and the realm of the church 1. To be clear: there are expectations Jesus has for work that individuals do that are not imposed upon the collective (e.g. 1 Timothy 5:16) 2. Christians are to be active in helping the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in hospitals and prisons, etc., as seen in Matthew 25:31-46; we should not diminish these responsibilities just because the way they are accomplished in the world and in many religious organizations is not consistent with the purposes God has made known in Christ through Scripture! 3. The challenge, however, is that while the delineations clarify to a degree, they also cause complications and difficulties, for they subconsciously encourage us to delineate our lives as well, as if there’s the “official church” part of life, and then the “individual” part of life not connected to the church C. Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-28: members of the Body of Christ work both interdependently and independently in their work of service in ways that will build up the Body of Christ and manifest His Body to the world 1. These passages demonstrate that each part of the body has a job to do, and they are to do that job in ways that glorify God in Christ 2. That work they do may be supported, encouraged, enhanced, and carried on by other Christians, but it must be done by each individual Christian him or herself! 3. What does this look like? It looks like the living of a life in which all things are subjected to the Lord Jesus! D. As a reminder, John 15:1-11: Jesus is the Vine; we are the branches 1. Jesus’ image of the vine and branches is apt: the disciples are connected to the Lord Jesus, and inasmuch as they remain connected to the Vine, they are able to bear fruit; without that connection to the Vine, they can do nothing 2. This imagery certainly has application to what we do as the collective church, and even what we do to strengthen and build up one another 3. But it also relates to what we do as Christians seeking to serve and glorify the Lord Jesus in every aspect of our lives: if our lives and our work is not connected to Jesus, it can do nothing; it must be subjected to Jesus and be part of His purpose and plan E. Thus, as we serve Jesus in any and every aspect of our lives as individual Christians -- in the household, in school, at work, in relationships, in the community, in the nation and world -- we embody Jesus to those people and in those places, and thus represent the Body of Christ, the church, in those contexts! 1. We grow uncomfortable with this terminology because we are concerned people will use it to justify and rationalize taking the work of the individual and burdening the collective with it; even if some distort the truth in doing so, it does not change what has been revealed! 2. Perhaps we do better to use a synonymous term to describe what we are doing: the work of the Kingdom: synonymous because any distinction between representing Christ as a part of the church and representing Christ as a part of His Kingdom is artificial; our participation in His Kingdom is as a member of His body, the church! 3. It becomes all too easy for Christians to compartmentalize their lives, and consider their lives as Christians as what they do in the assembly, their lives as employees at work, children among parents, spouses among spouses, etc. 4. And yet serving Jesus demands that our commitment to Jesus is manifest in every aspect and quarter of our lives: we must seek to bring the Lordship of Jesus to bear in our relationships and our situations in life (e.g. Ephesians 5:21-6:9) 5. Such is why so much of the exhortations in letters to churches feature concerns about how Christians think, feel, and act among themselves and among those in the world, with the goal of embodying Christ in all such contexts (e.g. Ephesians 4:1-6:20, Colossians 3:1-4:9, 1 Peter 1:1-5:13) 6. As each individual Christian subjects his or her life in every respect to Jesus’ Lordship, as members of the Body of Christ they thus embody God’s purposes in Christ in all of those contexts: they are ambassadors and representatives of the Kingdom, the church F. Distinctions ought to be maintained between what the individual Christian is called to do in order to glorify God in Christ and the work God has given the church as the corporate collective to accomplish; nevertheless, as Christians, we must not see our lives as individual servants of Christ as disconnected from our work in the Kingdom or for the church, but as how we embody our part of the Body of Christ to others so as to encourage them to be part of God’s eternal plan in Jesus! V. Serving Jesus Among One Another in His Body A. It is good for individual Christians to embody Christ toward those in the world; Scripture makes it clear that it is even better to embody Christ toward one another in the faith 1. Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-28: a major thrust of the image of the church as body is to encourage Christians to serve one another to build one another up in that body 2. Romans 12:10: tenderly affectioned toward one another; in honor preferring one another 3. Galatians 6:10: do good to all men, especially of the household of faith 4. Ephesians 4:12-16 as the most succinct “thesis statement” for the church, the building up of one another in love B. Just as Christians are easily tempted to compartmentalize their lives into “time as a Christian” and “time as other roles,” so Christians are also easily tempted to compartmentalize their responsibilities toward one another in terms of the assembly: “I go to church, edify and encourage one another, and then I am good for the week” C. In doing so we miss a crucial aspect of the church as ekklesia: Christians still make up the ekklesia even when not assembled! D. Our responsibilities toward one another were never restricted to the assembly; throughout the Scriptures there is the expectation that Christians work diligently to build up and encourage one another continually, within and without the assembly! 1. Acts 2:41-48: the early Christians were together all the time 2. Galatians 6:10 and Ephesians 4:12-16 are not in an assembly context: sure, they can relate to what we do in the assembly, but they also go well beyond what we do in the assembly E. Consider some of the metaphors of the church: to what end do they point? 1. Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-28: church as body 2. Ephesians 2:18-22, 1 Timothy 3:15: church as household, or family 3. What makes a body or a family work? Acceptance; belonging; mutual care; involvement in each other’s lives; accountability 4. Could a body function well if it only jointly participated a few hours a week? What of a family that sees each other for only a small fraction of time? F. In all of these things there is a strong expectation for Christians to be active in one another’s lives on a consistent basis! 1. Granted, this is not something which all are supposed to do it equally for all 2. Nevertheless, each member of the body of Christ should have good, strong relational connections with some other members of the body of Christ! 3. The goal is envisioned in John 17:20-23: that we may be one with one another as God is One within Himself, manifesting relational unity 4. That kind of unity can only come when Christians know each other, trust each other, are accountable to each other, can speak a word of truth and life to one another, etc. 5. That kind of unity can only be fostered in relationships that feature continual communication and concern; they cannot be formed with exposure only for a couple hours a week! G. We speak of concern about unity and avoiding division regarding the truth, which is well and good (1 Corinthians 1:10); God is concerned about that as well; and yet avoiding division involves a lot more than concern about doctrine, as manifest in 1 Corinthians 12:22-26 1. Paul focused on the existence of less presentable or pleasant parts of the body which nevertheless require honor for their function, and indicated such people exist in the Lord’s body 2. Not all people are equally lovable; not all people are equally pleasant; not all people have public or obvious roles; yet all should be valued and honored, so that there is no division in the body (1 Corinthians 12:22-25) 3. There should be no division because members should have the same care for one another: when one member suffers, all suffer; when one member rejoices, all rejoice (1 Corinthians 12:25-26)! 4. Ironically, the same logic undergirds the need for disassociation for those who remain in unrepentant sin: the sin which they commit has implications and consequences for the whole, because we are all part of each other in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 5:1-13)! H. The New Testament thus envisions a far more profound and deep level of relationship among the members of a given local congregation than we normally experience 1. We fear intimacy in relationship because of the potential of betrayal, rejection, or apprehension about people getting into our business 2. Yet how many of us feel really and truly good, supported, and encouraged? 3. How many of us experience loneliness, isolation, alienation, and a host of other issues that go along with it? 4. Fear may be understandable, but we are not to live by fear, but in faith in love, and to embody Jesus to and for each other: we must prioritize the people of God and our relationships with them! I. We cannot honestly say we love God if we do not demonstrate love to His people 1. 1 John 4:7-21 is rightly praised as a wonderful meditation on love, and yet John’s purpose in writing it is to indict Christians for their lack of love toward their brethren 2. How can anyone say he loves God whom he has not seen, but hates his brother whom he does see (1 John 4:20-21)? 3. Most of us would protest: we don’t hate our brothers; we love them! 4. But do we, really? Do they feel like we love them? Consider what John has said in 1 John 3:11-18: if our love is not manifest in deed and truth, then our love is but a pretense, and we really are not loving our brother, and are open to the charge of hating him, or worse, being indifferent to him! J. Thus, in the end, we cannot expect to maintain relational unity for eternity with the God whom we cannot see if we have not cultivated relational unity with His people among whom we live and interact; we must serve Jesus by serving the other parts of His body in the church! VI. Conclusion A. We have considered what it looks like to serve Jesus in His Church B. He has left us His example: John 13:1-16, 31-35 1. He washed His disciples’ feet; we are to “wash each other’s feet,” to serve one another 2. All men will know we are His disciples by our love for one another C. Yes, we do well to uphold what God has made known in Christ regarding the organization, collective work, and the assembly of the church, and to prove to be in subjection to Jesus in these matters D. But if we are not serving one another, and manifesting love for one another, the world will not perceive that we are His disciples; we will not be able to manifest Jesus to the world! E. What we have historically maximized is, in fact, the least of what it means to be in subjection to Jesus; what we have either taken for granted or neglected, love and service toward one another, is what Jesus has emphasized, and so should we! F. May we embody Jesus within His church when assembled, among each other outside of the assembly, and toward the world in faithful service as members of His Body! G. Invitation Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: And [God] put all things in subjection under [Jesus’] feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23). Jesus is Lord of the church; the church is to be subject to Christ in all things. Thus, the organization, work, and assemblies of the church should be designed according to what He has made known through His Apostles as revealed in Scripture. May we submit to the Lord Jesus in all things and be saved in Him! 2: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). We speak of particular things the local church, as a collective, is to do, and that is right and good. And yet each individual Christian, when he or she serves the Lord Jesus in their relationships and in their community, embodies the Kingdom and the Body of Christ there. Individual members doing Jesus’ work in their lives is part of the way the church is embodied in the world. May we embody Christ before the world in all things so God is glorified in Christ! 3: And whether one member suffereth, all the members suffer with it; or one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it (1 Corinthians 12:26). We associate with fellow Christians in the assembly. If the only place we associate with our fellow Christians is in the assembly, we will never be able to develop the relationships with fellow Christians which truly glorify God. We must work diligently and prioritize one another so that we can truly reflect relational unity. Can it be said that we feel for one another? Would we even know what each other needs? May we jointly participate in Christ and build each other up in Him! 4: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). The organization, work, and assembly of the church ought to be maintained in full subjection to the Lord Jesus. Yet Jesus did not expect His disciples to be known as such by those markers. We will be known as disciples of Jesus if we love one another. If we have the same kind of superficial relationships within the body of Christ as those in the world do without it, are we truly Christ’s disciples? May we embody Jesus toward one another in His church, love one another, serve one another, and all to the glory of God!