The Church

So recently I was reading through a biography on Charles Pergin. If you guys don't know who he is, some people say he is the greatest preacher to ever have lived. His nickname was the Prince of Preacher. I don't know how we measure that if that's really his title. Should hold that title. But one statement from him has always left an imprint. He called the church the dearest place on earth. Personally I would agree with that statement. I really believe that the church is the hope of the world. But it's not a sentiment that is widely held in our present culture, especially in our city. In fact, I think many people in our own congregation here, but also especially outward in the city, might think the exact opposite. I remember early on in ministry, there was a pattern that kind of arose very clearly early on for me. It was that a lot of people were coming to church to heal from the church. There were so many people in the congregation sitting there, but there was this big wall of resentment, cynicism, and bitterness. And it felt like we were running a church hurt recovery center. Because people had all sorts of issues that were common, that happens often, and others that were simply horrible to hear about. People who were used, who felt used by the church, more as a resource and asset than part of God's family. And you had people who were abused in different ways or felt like their trust was broken. And as I was talking to them, they were trying to make sense of what it meant to be part of God's family while feeling unsafe in that very space. Now not only on a personal level, one of the patterns you see among non-Christians, and what serves as one of the biggest roadblocks to faith, isn't necessarily about Jesus or the Bible itself, but rather the track record of the church. So you have the scandals, you have leadership failures, you have historical examples like the crusades, the Inquisition, and even with Montreal, with its complex history, with the Catholic Church. And when you combine all these things, most would not wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment that the church is a dearest place on earth. And I believe it's led to a very distorted view of the church, not only from secular people, but I think even as Christians, many of us have lost hope and confidence in the family of God. And I hope this morning to offer a very different perspective. First of all, we do have to acknowledge wholeheartedly and own up as the wider church that we have not been perfect by any means, any stretch of the imagination. There's so much to be done and improved upon, but I think there also needs to be some nuance in our perspective. On the one hand, I think the information we receive about the church bends the narrative towards a very negative perspective. I lead a life group here, the mixed group, and at the church. And we were talking about on one of the discussions, what are some good things and bad things that the church has done in your own experience, areas of weakness and strength, not just a live church, but the universal church as a whole. And it was interesting because we came to the conclusion that we find it much easier to name all the wrong and not recognize any of the good or be aware of it. And I think this is mostly due to the fact that good faithful churches who are doing amazing things never make the headlines, only scandals or pastors who are fallen have been written about. No one's going to write about the quiet, faithful pastor or congregation in a small city who is daily ministering to the people there, sacrificing, loving on the poor, not seeking attention. Those never make it on the news. And so the imbalance of news creates an unbalanced view of the church. And again, this isn't minimizing the bad, but it's about seeing the whole picture. Now on the other hand, the brokenness of the church, and I think this is something we have to hold with faith, does not mean that the original design was flawed. I really believe that churches have often fallen because it veered away from God's original vision for his family. We've often tried to become things that he never intended us for us to be. We've used strategies and methods and postures in order to reflect the world and become relevant. And we made all sorts of things that God did not intend for us. But I really believe when the church lives into the vision that Christ has given it, it really is the dearest place on earth. It's not perfect because you guys, including my, so we're just a bunch of sinners who are in process, but a space where God's power is made manifest. And people and cities are healed and saved and commissioned into the life that they were meant for. So I'm not sure if you have a low view of the church, but I hope due to this sermon, I want to show you that much of how the world paints and views the church is not what Jesus had in mind. That the church was meant to be, in fact, believe it or not, to be the instrument of God's redemptive work in the world when we adopt and reflect his ways and not our own. And so what I want to do today is make things tangible for you when it comes to both what the church is called to do within God's story and also give you some practical ways for you guys to move forward that mission in our city. Now, of course, we're going to use, to continue with our theme, the threefold office is what we're going to use to help us flesh out practical ways that you guys are all called to participate in this kingdom work. So by way of introduction, I want to take you to a time-tested document from church history, what we call the Heidelberg Catechism. Now, if you guys don't know what this is, churches use this series of question and answers to educate and disciple its members about what it means to be a Christian. And the one that's relevant for us is question 32, which asks, but why are you called a Christian next slide? And it answers, because by faith I am a member of Christ, and so I share in his anointing. I am anointed to confess his name, that's the prophetic role, to present myself to him as a living sacrifice of things, that's the pre-C role, to strive with a good conscience against sin and the devil in this life, and afterward to reign with Christ over all creation for all eternity. And that's the kingly role. Do you guys see those three things? The three-fold office? This is what makes you a Christian. This is your job description that you've been given to play out. And I want to flesh this out, because I think it's going to help you to see whether you're not, you are actually aligning yourself with the narrative of God. Each of us are called to play our kingly, prophetic, and pre-C role in reflection of the ultimate king, prophet and priest in Jesus. So, if you're taking notes, the first is that the church is called to be kingly. I'm going to make this point very quick, because I've already talked about this, but I want to spend more time on the other two offices. But according to our passage in Peter, we are what? A royal priest. Now, if you remember, Jesus's kingly role had to do with the ordering of the world and his defeat of evil, the enemy, and death itself. Now, Tim Keller says that this concerns the believer in this way. This role is a call for you to fight against sin within yourself and within the church. Just as Adam was supposed to overcome the temptation of the serpent, we are called to use the authority given to us by virtue of his victory on the cross to fight and kill off sin, to resist and push against the kingdom of darkness. And Keller says, "We are able to fight and defeat the world, the flesh, and the devil through the power of the gospel." And we do this by fighting against our own sins that we struggle with, keeping fellow brothers and sisters accountable, and walking with them and their fight against sin. And we do that through prayer, love, encouragement, exhortation, confession, forgiveness, and repentance. And so, to put it simply, this role has to do with spiritual warfare and the authority that you possess as sons and daughters of the kings of kings. Now, one thing very quickly I want to add is that this also means, as we learned last week, to use our power and agency that God has given you to bring justice and flourishing to the world. This could be through your work, your vocation, and what we make and create through our work, or through wise engagement with culture and society that helped to fight sin and make the world a better place. So much to be said, but for time's sake, I want to camp out on the next two. Second, the church is called to be prophetic. I love this one. Our passage says this, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people called for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. To put this simply, we are called to proclaim God's truth. We are God's mouthpiece, the instrument through which he is revealing and proclaiming his excellencies. Particularly the gospel that the world desperately needs. And I really believe that it's this aspect of our vocation that needs to be strengthened and recovered in our present age. I don't know if you guys know this, but Christianity was once at the center of culture. And it was looked to for guidance when it came to moral and social issues. issues. And so there was this respect for the institutional the church that has long since deteriorated in our culture, where we have now been pushed to the margins in a way where it's not just about receiving personal criticism from those who might disagree, but there have been efforts, as you and I know, to stifle or force Christians to adhere to secular practices through legal action and societal pressures in different forms. And so it's created this atmosphere where if we're honest living in a city like Montreal, there is often a bit of shame and fear, or at best a little bit of a hesitancy when it comes to what we feel towards the truth and believes that the Bible proclaims. And especially not only because it is a counter-cultural and different, but also hated by many in our society. And you know what we often do? We won't deny it. We might hide it, but we do this especially. We use disclaimers to soften our stance on certain issues as we're for holding onto something that's inherently, that isn't inherently good. And it hasn't helped that we've often been painted as hateful or bigoted because of what we believe. You know, I'll admit that even as a pastor, I have these feelings on times. You know recently, I think I told you guys, I've been playing basketball with a group of guys, I got connected to, who aren't Christian, and I've been playing with them since last February. And it's been fun getting to know them. But it was only recently that someone asked me, what do I do for a living, right? After a whole year they asked me. The dreaded question that often changes things. And I told them that I'm a pastor and he looked at me and he said, oh wow. And it was like his brain was glitching because he didn't know how to act around me. And when I saw his gaze, I felt like I was being formed into this stereotype of a Christian that he had in his mind that was painted by the media. And there was a part of me that was like, I felt like hiding my job would just make it easier oftentimes. And I feel like we all feel some form of this where we need to explain ourselves that we're not like those Christians that's often portrayed in the media or that our views are nuance or culturally appropriate. We often end up hiding the truth of God in its fullness. But in some ways, this is to forego one of the most important roles that we've been given as the church. And my firm belief that it is one of the most loving things that we can do as the church for our culture. You know, I think about Paul's proclamation in Romans 116 where he says this, for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. I want you to, I want to make this clear. The truth of God is the key ingredient in renewing the world and healing the brokenness that we see. Paul says he's not ashamed of the gospel but proclaims it loudly and clearly not because he feels superior or because he has this condescending posture because I know something that they don't. But because he believes what? That it is the power of God for salvation. It is the very solution that people are desperate for even if they don't know it. You see, the real reason why there is brokenness, the foundation of it is lies and distortion of truth. What started to fall? It was a serpent who distorted the truth of God in order to bring Adam and Eve to temptation. And it's when we begin to go further and further away from God's truth, the more broken that we become. And so it's not a surprise, right? What is the devil's job description, according to scripture? He is at his core, what? A liar. He soars down into God's Word. He deceives making it hard for you to differentiate between what is truth and what is lie, what is reality and what is delusion. And part of how God is saving people is through the proclamation of his Word and truth through the spirit and power church. And we are called to do this in two specific ways. First, it's through verbal proclamation of God's truth. We must speak and share the gospel and its truth. It's interesting. I think it's Saint Francis who came up with this line that's very popular, but I think it's at best incomplete and at worst unbiblical. I'm sure you've heard of this, right? As he says, "Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words." Now I understand a sentiment. It's probably a overreaction to people saying a lot of things, but not really living out their faith. But the church in response has often neglected the verbal proclamation of God's truth. We befriend people. We do a lot of good deeds. We're very loving. We do social work. But we shy away and refrain from actually sharing the gospel message because we're afraid of offending people. We even try to bend the Christian truth to make it seem like it isn't all that different from what the world believes in. And so from a distance, people wouldn't even know if you're a Christian or not or whether you're just a kind social worker type of person. But this isn't the loving thing to do. Okay. It's clear in Romans 10, 13 to 14, "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, how then will they call on him in whom they have not believed, and how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard, and how are they to hear without someone preaching." Church. The call to open our mouth and speak and share truth is imperative in making the world new. It is the means by which God is saving people and pointing the world towards his reality. And this isn't only just about sharing the gospel, but we are called actually to call out to be prophetic and help the world to see, of course, with kindness, humility and empathy, but also with boldness to show people what is truth and what is life, what is good and what is evil. When we keep our mouth shut and speak in a way that's more shaped by fear of culture, more than our trust in God's word, we are withholding the most loving thing that we can give to people. Because God's truth, not our loving deeds only, is the power of God onto salvation. Now let me add something just to make the point. Jesus says, John 8, 31 to 32, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and it is the truth that will set you free." Not just good deeds, not just being nice, not being relevant, but the truth of God will set you free. Second, to balance this out, we become prophetic as we embody the truth. One thing we have to understand is that the truth is not only revealed through our mouths, but fleshed out in power through our lives. Not only are we called to proclaim it, but we are also to embody the truth for all to see. We do a lot of proclamation in the past, but oftentimes the church has not embodied the message and the truth that proclaims. The prophetic cause is not just with our mouths, but with our lives, both on an individual and corporate level. In other words, how we live our lives speaks volumes to the reality of the gospel that we preach. Maybe the question you have to ask yourself is this, what are you saying about Jesus and the gospel by the way that you live and the character that you hold? What are you bearing witness to? We preach a gospel that speaks to radical generosity, grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, and truth. Does your life serve as a lived out explanation of those marks? Or does your life serve to undermine the validity of our message? Let me ask one more question. What would a newcomer or an unbeliever who comes to a life church think about the power of the gospel as they observe the way that we relate to and love one another, how we serve or don't serve? You see, whether we like it or not, the truth is, and I really believe this, the life for the church and the transform life for the disciple is the most powerful apologetic and argument for God's word being true and powerful. And I think in some ways I want to lay a little bit of a burden on you. This is the calling, responsibility that you have been called to. And this isn't, say, you have to be perfect, but there should be glimpses of God's truth and His ways being embodied both in our personal and corporate lives together. And when we do both, we proclaim the truth with boldness and we embody that truth with love and humility, we begin to expose the lies that hold people in bondage. And we shine the light into the darkness. Now to be clear, let me just add a quick nuance to this before I move on. I'm not just talking about like hot topic issues, like sexuality and politics, but especially when we proclaim the truth to personal lies that people have believed in for so long. When we actually become a prophetic community, it's so powerful. You know, one of my favorite things about ministry is when people come to the church and they share about how they view themselves. And as I'm, you know, drinking coffee with them, you can tell that there are so many lies that they're enslaved to, that they believe in about their own life. No one can really love me. I'm not worthy. I'm what I do and how I perform. No one wants me. I'm a failure and I'll always be one. And as they enter into the prophetic community of the church, something beautiful happens, where from the pulpit, from the mouths of members, they begin to hear the truth of God proclaimed about who they really are. That their value is in Christ, that they are not the sum of their performance or resume or grades, but actually what God thinks about them is the truest thing about them. And as these truths begin to seep into their hearts, you witness the first signs of freedom. And they begin to open up and allow themselves to be known and loved for the first time. There's a joy that doesn't come from their performance but who they are in God. And to me, that is one of the clear signs of heaven breaking in of the kingdom making renewal in our world, one soul at a time. There's power. And so I want to challenge you. Open your mouth. Allow the word of Christ to be to dwell richly in you. So that when you speak, you speak God's word and that there is transformation and freedom. Amen? Now third and lastly, the church is called to be priestly. I said two weeks ago that Jesus and his priestly row, he did something unusual for a priest that only he could do because he's 100% man and 100% God. So instead of offering goats and sheep, what did he do? He offered himself as a sacrifice. And I want you to get this. He presented himself as a sacrifice onto death in order to bring life to you and I. And that pattern is supposed to be the pattern of our life. Romans 12, one says this very clearly. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice wholly and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. So you are called to live a life of sacrifice, of dying to yourself in order to bring life to others. And you know who I think exemplify that? I think because we're reading Paul with the New Testament reading. Paul does, right? And one of my favorite passages, and what I want my life to be about is 2 Corinthians 4, 8 through 12. This passage is so good. Okay, let me read this for you. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not driven to despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed. Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus to save, so that the life of Christ also may be manifested in our motor flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Do you guys see what he's saying here? It is so challenging. And when you repost life, he's not exaggerating. He's not saying that's because it sounds good. This too literally died almost so many times. He sacrificed his life, made incredible sacrifice, dealt with criticism, with honor and truth. And he was so generous, literally dying to himself again and again. And it was this posture that brought so much life into the spaces that he entered. Like literally churches were birthed. People were healed. People were saved from death into eternal life. And God's kingdom spread through his dying to himself as a life of Christ was made manifest through that life. And of course, this is the way, right? This is the way that the kingdom moves forward. The kingdom always takes the shape of the gospel, because it was only through the death of Christ that we got to experience the resurrection of Christ. His death made the way for life. And this pattern becomes the blueprint through which we extend the kingdom of God in this city. We present ourselves as living sacrifices by dying to ourselves to bring life to others. Forgoing our own sense of entitlement. You being a servant in whatever space you enter, counting others more significant than yourselves, sacrificing your resources to bring life to those who need it. And when these things are present, life begins to appear in places where there was once death. You know, I want you to think about this. Isn't this true even in your own real life? You know, I wanted to, I was trying to think of an example. And I was like, I want to think of like the most crazy example to like inspire you and convict you. But I realized that's not the point I actually want to make. What I really want you to see is that there is power in the ordinary, mundane sacrifices that you make for people. You know, my father-in-law has been living with us for the past eight years, but we'll be moving to the state soon in April. And you know, whenever people find out that my father-in-law lives with us, they're always like, wow, you're such a good son-in-law, right? That must be so hard, right? It must be such a sacrifice. But you know, my father-in-law isn't the normal in-law. To me, as I think about these past eight years, I think he's embodied more than anyone I know, what it means to joyfully die to himself for the sake of other people. In very ordinary, but powerful ways that I've served to give such a deeper life in our home. He's never once expressed entitlement or expectation for me to do things for him. You know, even though in the Korean culture, he could order me around and tell me to do whatever he wants me to do, and I would have to do it. But I have never seen him use that power over me. He will cook dinner for us every night. That's crazy, right? First gen Korean meal, they don't cook. But this guy cooks every night, and he would ask me, you know, what do you want? And he would research and make it. And that's one of the things I'm going to miss the most is his Korean food. He would always celebrate our little victories by sacrificing the little money that he has. He's always giving me his credit card to buy food and dessert. And he never gets bothered whenever the kids just bum rush his room, right? We would always hear him walk in them, you know? He's like, "Oh, Micah and Aaron, and they're laughing, and they're having so much fun." And as I was reflecting on this, his sacrifice, his way of serving us, brought so much life into our home. And I really believe my kids are wild and secured because of his love and the way that he served them. And personally, I'm only realizing how much he's given me as he's leaving. But this is what happens when we play this role to the fullest. So you're called, "I'm not calling you to do like crazy stuff, like be a missionary, sell your house." Most of you don't have homes, but so all those things, right? And do these large, extravagant ways. But in the quiet, mundane, ordinary, everyday lives as God's peace, you are called to serve, to sacrifice, to live generously in other centered. As you go into the city, this workplace is your home, your church, that you leave behind the aroma of sacrifices wherever you go. So that the life of Christ may be manifested in that place. And my prayer is that you would ask God to open your eyes to the needs around you, to not be so curved inward, but that you would see yourself as a priest, as a servant, where you not only recognize the brokenness, but you give yourself to make that place more whole with whatever skill and resources you have. Amen? I'm not done. Now, as I end, I need to add something because we have to finish the whole Bible. We're almost done. Now, let me just mention something. Add something. Our priest's C-Roll also includes the all-important work of intercession. That's what priests do. Priest stand in the gap between people and God and the pray on their behalf. Now, I don't know if you guys know this, but Jesus has the high priest. He's actually interceding for you right now. He is our advocate, right? And so part of our priest's C-Roll is that we see the brokenness and need to the world and you know what your job is? Not to dismiss it or hand it off to someone else, but you are supposed to take that whatever you recognize and place it before God and ask him to allow the resources and the power of the kingdom to enter into that place. That is one of your primary callings. To serve the people in this city by being an intercessor. To pray this prayer, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That is the cry of our prayers. Because in the end, our ultimate hope lies in Acts 6 of the story of God where God will make all things new. Okay, let me just read to you, Revelation 21. It says at the end, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, a dorn for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the thrones saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore. For the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." You know, we started out in Genesis. And I would say the story of God is about God making everything new. That was started out. out in the fall is being renewed, remade, and redeemed into something more beautiful. And surprisingly, he's given us that work, that through the church, by the power of the gospel and to the Holy Spirit, that as we speak truth and embody its power, by ruling over sin and injustice through acts of repentance, confession, and discipline. And by presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, in loving service and good deeds, and through intercession, God is making all things new. And then when Christ comes back, it's going to be the end, where there's going to be a marriage banquet between heaven and earth, and there's going to be a union where all suffering and pain and brokenness would be gone. And that is the story of God. And there is no better story. Because you know in the end, there's only one story that is going to stand. Every other story produced by this culture, by our wisdom, by even our families will come and cease. Only the story of God will go on for eternity. We'll find our deepest longings, our deepest aches, comfort it and heal. And there is no better story to live into. Amen? Let's stand.