Word of Salvation – Vol. 33 No. 37 – October 1988
Building The Body Of Christ
Sermon by Rev. M. P. Geluk Lord’s Day 21, Q.&A. 54.
Reading: John 10:1-16; Ephesians 4:1-16; Heidelberg Catechism: LD21
Singing: Ps.H. 89:1,2; 38:3; 426; 398; 402.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The process of building is always very visible. At first there is a vacant block of land. The activity begins with stakes being put into the ground, indicating where the building will come. Then the foundations are laid, the frame and the walls go up. The roof is put on, the painting completed, and with a host of other things added at some stage during construction, like pipes, fittings and whatever else, the building is finally finished. The vacant block has seen a radical change. But once the building is there, the task is not over. There is the maintenance and upkeep to do.
In the Scriptures the church is often referred to as a building. The church, made up of God’s people, and members of God’s household is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.” (Eph.2:20-22).
Christ Himself said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.” (Mt.16:18). With Lord’s Day 21, that is one of the most important aspects we believe about the church. It is Christ who builds it, and Satan cannot break it down.
The building of the church is an ongoing thing. It started long ago but it is not finished.
This particular building we are now sitting in was completed a long time ago. But the church Christ is building will only be completed when all the elect in Christ have been added to it. That’s also the time when Christ returns to establish the new heaven and earth. And when that happens then we will not need stone buildings like this anymore.
Now the authors of our Catechism have clearly sensed the on-going process of the church up to the point of Christ’s return. Answer 54 indicates movement and activity. The church of Christ is not static and fixed as this building is. The church Christ is building is alive, it has a past and a present and a future. The church is a work of God through time and history. The church is history.
We want to capture that on-going process of the church as we proclaim the teaching of God’s Word about it under the theme or heading: Building the Church.
1. The Builder is Christ.
2. The Tools used are the Word and the Holy Spirit.
3. The Members must be spiritually alive.
1.
In the first place, then, we see that the builder of the church is Christ. We are used to seeing church buildings everywhere. Some of them have become well-known, either by their architecture, history, or because a famous preacher served it and many people worshipped there. But Christians do not belong to church buildings or preachers, but to Christ. They look to Him for their salvation and they have their sins washed away by His blood. And by Christ’s Spirit they are sanctified and sealed for the day of full redemption. Together, all Christians form the one, holy, catholic church.
With many denominations all around us, sometimes worshipping in different buildings in the same street, or even next to each other, we have to stress again that Christ builds one holy, catholic church. I know of a church member years ago who could not join in when the congregation confessed with the words of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe a holy, catholic church.” His difficulty was the word “catholic”, mistakenly thinking it referred to Roman Catholic and not realising it meant the one universal church.
With the word “catholic” we are saying that all true Christians belong to that one church which is found all over the world. Wherever Christians are, that is where Christ’s church is. One is either a member of it or one is not, and if not then one is not a Christian.
Salvation is found within that one church that Christ is building. Outside of it there is no salvation. But from the moment Christ saved you from sin, you are a member of His church.
Now if members from different denominations make that claim of belonging to this one church, and if we do too, then we had better accept each other as Christ Jesus has accepted us. (Rom.15:7). But how do you know if that claim is legitimate? How can you tell if others, indeed, if we ourselves belong to the one, holy, catholic church.
The Apostle John wrote a whole letter explaining that. He says:
“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother.” (1Jn.3:10).
But there is more to it than just looking at what people are doing. We must also look at what Christ is doing in people. You see, people’s behaviour does not change overnight. With most of us, learning to do what is right, and loving our neighbour in the full biblical way, can take a long time, yes, even a life-time.
Much of the New Testament exhorts Christians to live, not as children of darkness, but of light. (cf.Eph.4:5, Col.5). Sometimes it does not look all that promising! David did not commit his sins of adultery and murder whilst an unbeliever but as one who knew God and who composed and sang some beautiful psalms about God’s saving acts.
So it is for good reasons that we believe in the one, holy, catholic church. As members of Christ by faith, we must go on believing that Christ is building a church and that He does so from material that is of very poor quality. But somehow when He begins to work with this poor material, the Divine Builder of the church, transforms the material into good quality stuff. It is not we who build the Christian church, we merely serve Christ who does the building.
We should also notice that Christ brings people into His church from the entire human race. In Rev.5:9,10 which pictures the church in heaven, there is that beautiful statement: “…with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God…!” But that multinational church need not only be a heavenly reality, it can be an earthly one already.
The saving work of Christ has no preference for a particular skin colour and does not stop at borders and boundaries. God once had a preference for Israel, not because they were better than other nations; in fact, they often proved to be the most stubborn and rebellious But God sovereign grace decided to work His salvation purposes in in them, to show how He in His grace could win even the hardest of hearts. That was in Old Testament times. Since Pentecost the church is a world-wide affair.
So the archbishop of the Church of England with all his glittering robes, should have no difficulty to sit and pray next to a primitive Christian tribesman from the New Guinea highlands, dressed only in his loin-cloth. And whilst we understand that cultural differences could make that difficult over a long period, it should be possible for say, black and white Christians in South Africa to be members of the same denomination, for they both belong to the one Christian church.
Not only is Christ building His church from the entire human race, He is also doing this throughout time. From the beginning of the world to its end. Adam and Eve belong to the church and so will the last of those whom God has chosen to eternal life. Together with the first and the last are all those who have put their trust in God for their salvation. It includes for believing parents and their children. The church is really the outworking of the covenant of grace. The members of the true church are also the true members of the covenant.
If the church of Christ has existed before us, then it means, of course, that we can learn from the church of the past. We do that with our confessional standards, like the Heidelberg Catechism for instance. When today’s church members are scornful of any lessons that may be learnt from the church of the past, then it is virtually saying that the Holy Spirit began His work only with them. And that is showing an arrogant attitude, to say the least.
The church, having outlived all other institutions, empires, political systems, and ideologies, how does Christ, the Master Builder build it? Well, He is the One who gathers, protects and preserves the church. The letter to the Hebrews calls Christ the author and perfector of our faith (12:2). Christ is that for every believer. Sinners who are saved through Christ’s blood do not add themselves to the church; Christ does that. And the partnership in the gospel that Christ gives to every Christian is said to be a good work of Christ in the Christian that He will carry on to completion until the day of His coming (Phil.1:6).
So from beginning to end the church is a work of Christ.
Sinners, dead in trespasses and sins, cannot come to Christ by themselves. Yet, the impossible happens. Christ calls and the dead hear His voice, and with faith implanted in their heart, they respond to the call to be saved.
When you read in Scripture about those whom God predestined in Christ, and also called, and also justified, and also glorified (Rom. 8:30), then you are reading about the gathering, protecting and preserving of the church. No one can snatch any of those who have been given eternal life out of the Father’s hand. · They can never perish (John 10:28). How can they, when they are given eternal life? As Builder of His church then, Christ is the One who gathers, protects and preserves all those whom the Father has elected to salvation.
2.
In the second place, what tools does Christ use in the building of His church? Well, how does Christ call the lost? He does it through His Word of course! The calling of the sheep by the shepherd can only come through the shepherd’s voice. And that is the Word of God!
But then who works a change of heart in the sinner? Who causes the heart to hear the Saviour’s voice and respond to it? Who is able to bend the stubborn, hardened sinner to God, so that His will and desire is to come to God, repent of sin, hate it and turn away from it, and turn to Christ to follow Him? Who is able to do all that? Yes, to bring about the new birth and a true conversion? It is the Holy Spirit of course!
The Word of God and the Holy Spirit are the divine tools which Christ uses in the building of His church. The gathering, protecting and preserving of the church is all done by Christ through His Word and Spirit.
Now that being the way Christ does it, it had better also be the way we do it. Yes, it is true, Christ has given the church the task to preach and teach the Word. And upon the church He has poured out His Holy Spirit. So the church is eminently equipped and qualified to gather, protect and preserve those chosen by God to salvation. The church does this in Christ’s name, never in its own name, nor by the devices of man. In Christ’s name, and through the Word and the Holy Spirit.
Why is it that when it comes to the gathering of the elect, which is evangelism and church growth of course, why is it that the church sponsors a Billy Graham crusade, or Leighton Ford crusade, or Bill Newman crusade, or the John Smith mission? It is not Christ who builds His church? Of course, Christ uses Billy Graham, Leighton Ford, Bill Newman, John Smith, and other evangelists when they preach and teach the Word of God. But it is not their crusade or mission: it is the crusade or the mission of the church of Jesus Christ.
Those names mentioned are familiar names, we are used to hearing them, and therefore we no longer object. But you should object if you were told that there will be a Henk DeWaard crusade or a David Groenenboom crusade. Not that these men do not know how to preach Christ but there is no need for their name-tag on what is a work of Christ.
In our talk about the church, its gathering, protection, and preserving, we really have to be more careful and modest. Today we speak of “growing a church” and “starting a church”, and “training some church planters”. And there is talk of churches becoming stronger when people give their testimonies, churches become more relevant when people can come to the front at special times for healing, and people become special because they claim to have visions about things that the Scriptures do not even mention.
The church of Christ is using tools that are not Christ’s but man’s. But the church must never become a man-centred affair. She is Christ’s affair!
He builds, through His Word and Spirit. The saved members of His church are to serve Him, on His terms, not to draw attention to themselves. We should have a healthy suspicion of all tools, other than the ministry of the Word and the Spirit, for the gathering, protecting and preserving of the church.
When you read about the church in the Scriptures then you also become aware that the church is a spiritual reality. She is the body of Christ, a fellowship of believers, whose aim and purpose is to show forth the glory and praise of God. The church is not a club nor an association but a community chosen for eternal life. The church is to reflect life in the Kingdom of God. As the Bride of Christ she is to love, honour and obey Him.
The church is therefore not a forum to discuss social issues, she is not a platform from which to launch a political point of view, and not an organization draft to a program to overcome the economic ills of the nation.
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The church is to proclaim the riches of Christ, to call sinners to repentance, to comfort and encourage God’s people, to help the widow and orphans.
Yes, in the ministry of God’s Word the church is to do many things and she is certainly to let the light of God’s Word shine on the nation, and apply His Word to social, economic and political issues. As a church she is to preach the gospel in a far-reaching manner, which that Gospel demands, but not to go beyond it. And then her members, changed by the Word and Spirit, go forth into the world and claim all things for Christ in education, art, entertainment, politics, society and so on.
That church is also to have unity in the faith. In and around Christ we must be united. It does not matter at all if the members of the church are not alike. God has made us all different in background, gifts, talents, culture, race, traditions and whatever else. But we are to be a people who have one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph.4:4-6).
To maintain that unity in the faith, we must promote it. it, keep it and defend Which means using Christian discipline.
3.
That brings us, finally and briefly, to our third point.
Building the church can only be done with living members. Christ is the Builder. He uses His Word and Spirit, but the members are to be alive. That means, alive in the Spirit, redeemed and saved.
Therefore, are you such a member? At home visits members are often asked: Are you happy in the church? Or: happy with the church? They are good questions but unfortunately we think more of other members than we do of Christ. We think such questions are to give us opportunity to vent our unhappiness and frustrations about things that are really not very important. About the way other members do things; what people have said and done, and how other churches do things better.
But the question about you feeling happy in the church should really be answered by you telling the elders whether you are being spiritually fed, whether the God is preached, and whether the Holy Spirit is able to do His work. Is the church behaving as the bride of Christ? Is the church, in Christ’s Name, gathering, protecting and preserving God’s elect?
Word of
But perhaps we should first answer: What does Christ think of you and the way you are a member? Our answer to that question may well modify our answer about the wrong we see in others.
Should we leave the church if we are not happy? We all know that there are many churches. That is not always a bad thing necessarily.
No church has a monopoly on the truth. But we should know and strive to see that the church we are a member of is a true church.
The Belgic Confession has given three indications by which you can tell.
They are:
a) Is the pure doctrine of the gospel preached;
b) Is there the proper administration of the sacraments as instituted by Christ;
and
c) Is church discipline exercised in the punishing of sin?
In short: is the church we are members of doing all things according to the Word God or according to the whims of man?
It is bad if Christians do not belong to a local church.
It will not do to counter that by saying that one belongs to the church of Christ. For where is that church, what is her address? The church of Christ is visible
and the address is where you worship and are a living member.
It can be a real temptation to shop around and try all the different brands on the ecclesiastical shelves. To feed here and nibble there, but belonging to none. In that way no one can touch us, we can’t be disciplined, for we just float around.
It is every Christian’s duty, however, to join a local true church of Christ, to be a living member of it, and thus to be fed spiritually and contribute to its well-being. It is in the local church where we as Christians are to do what is right and to love Christianly our brothers and sisters in faith. Then we will know whether we are the children of God or the children of the devil (1Jn.3:9). But Christ is the Builder of His church and the gates of hell will not overcome it (Mat.16:18).
Amen