How many memberships do you have?
I think I've got something like half a dozen memberships at the moment.
I'm a member at Crunch Gym.
I have a subscription to Netflix and Disney Plus at the moment.
I've been a supporter of sporting teams.
I need to become a member of the Chatswood RSL
because there's a really great Chinese restaurant up the top there.
I'm part of a wine club.
I've been part of a coffee club.
And I dip in and out of these.
I'll get rid of Disney Plus for a while.
I'll bring it back.
I'll do something else.
I'll give them my dollars.
I'll be one of their members.
I'll go on their books to boost up their numbers.
And I'll choose when I go of what I'm part of,
of what I give my time to, my attention to.
And if I don't like it, I'll vote by cancelling my membership,
not attending, those kinds of things.
I wonder if it's possible for us that we think of being a church member
as just one of any other membership.
You know, I've been signed up to St. Paul's for a couple of years,
maybe since I was baptized or maybe I was born into the church.
And I attend.
I give my dollars.
I'm on their books as a member of the church.
And I dip in and out.
I'll pause my membership as other things come up and life gets busy.
Maybe I'm still on a trial membership and I'm not really ready to commit yet.
But is it possible that we have our view of what it means to be a part of a church,
a member of church, shaped not by God, but by the world around us?
We are in our vision series.
A time to cast the vision of the church, not just for this year,
but for the next five years of who we want to be as we follow Jesus together.
And we want to be a church who is going deeper into relationship with God
and deeper into relationship with each other as we follow this Jesus.
At the start of the series, Steve told us that as we follow this Jesus,
God has given us three wonderful gifts to help us do that.
The first was the Bible and prayer.
That because we want to have a relationship with God,
God has given us relationship with Him.
We can actually talk to Him.
We can pray to Him.
We can be in relationship with Him.
The second gift is the Holy Spirit,
who opens our eyes to see who Jesus is,
to understand who God is,
who prompts us,
who calls us to be more like Him,
who is changing us from the inside.
And the third gift that God has given us to help us as we follow Jesus is the church.
People to help us as we walk towards Jesus.
Colleagues, brothers, sisters.
But to understand today, as we look at what it means to be the church,
we're going to see two things.
First of all, we're going to question, what is the church?
And second, what is the point?
What is the purpose of church?
And the challenge for us today will be to have God define who the church is
and who we are to be.
And not just to have a superficial membership of the church
defined by all of those other memberships that we have in the world,
but to take hold of God's gift of the church with both hands.
So let me pray for us as we have a look at what God has to say to us.
Let me pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much, first of all,
that we get to know you,
that we get to be people who are yours,
and that you love us.
And we thank you that you have gathered us this morning.
Be with us as we look at your word.
Help us to be ready to have our hearts shaped to be like you
and to understand who we are to be as your church.
Amen.
What even is a church?
The building is often called church.
You know, we're going to church.
But the church is so much more than that.
The word means gathering.
And so in the original language,
anything was that any gathering of people was referred to as a church.
So you could have the church who meets at the side of the soccer pitch
who is made up of shouty parents on a Saturday morning.
You could have a church of oolong tea fanatics.
Whatever gathering you have,
that's where the word church comes from.
But over time,
this word has come to be associated with religious activities
and also with the building that we are in.
But how does God describe his gathering?
Have a look.
We're going to be jumping around a couple of passages
before we spend a little bit more time in that Hebrews 10 passage.
So please have your Bibles open, phones.
There is our church app, which has the outline.
Or you can grab a Bible.
If you do not have a Bible,
get a Bible from the sides,
one of the brown Bibles.
We've written in them that they are for you.
And you've just got to write your name in there.
Please take one of those and have those.
We're going to be in 1 Peter 2, verse 10.
So God, first of all, shows us
that the church is universal,
everywhere, and invisible.
And it is also visible and local.
In 1 Peter 2, verse 10, Peter says,
Once you were not a people,
but now you are the people of God.
Once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
What Peter's doing is he's connecting God's saving people,
God's showing mercy to people,
with people,
with these individuals becoming part of his people.
He shows mercy,
and these Christians are now part of a greater people.
When we are saved,
when the Holy Spirit reveals to us who Jesus is
and we follow him,
we become part of something larger,
something bigger than us,
something that is universal,
something that is invisible,
the church that is across all time and space,
that goes into the past,
and that goes into the future.
We are part of something that is much larger than us.
Paul talks about this church in Romans 8, verse 15.
He says,
The spirit you received does not make you slaves
so that you live in fear.
Rather, the spirit you received
brought about your adoption to sonship.
And so the church is saved
as part of this universal group of people
who are sons,
who have the full legal standing
of a male heir in Roman culture,
who have access to everything from the Father.
And so we are part of God's family as his children
across the globe and across time and space.
And Hebrews 12 talks about this in verse 22.
You have come to Mount Zion,
to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem.
You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels
in joyful assembly
to the church of the firstborn,
whose names are written in heaven.
And so in one sense,
the church right now is universal and invisible.
We cannot see the church at the moment.
We can see us here, sitting here.
But the church is much larger.
The church is those who have been adopted
into God's family as his children.
And also,
the church is also,
in a spiritual way,
gathering around God in heaven already.
There is this spiritual element
to the church in heaven.
And so the Bible,
just having a look at these couple of verses,
we can talk more about this if you like later,
describes the church as
one whole people
of brothers and sisters
made one family
who are already in heaven
in a spiritual way.
And this is one of the reasons
it is so encouraging
to meet another Christian.
I'm not sure if you've ever met
another Christian
in a totally random setting.
There is just something unique.
It's more than just,
oh, here's another person
who has a similar like to me.
You know, they follow a sporting team.
But it's this person
also knows the same Jesus.
They've also been loved
by the same Jesus.
And they know that
there's nothing special about them,
but they've been saved
by the living God.
There is just something
about being part of this family
which unites us.
The youth around Easter
are going up to Kik.
Kik is a gathering of youth
from all over New South Wales.
And they go to Katoomba
and there's thousands of them there.
And it's so encouraging
to be part of a youth group
of say 30 kids
and then to go and see 3,000 kids
and go, oh wow,
there are all of these other people
who follow the same Jesus as me.
This is really wonderful.
This church that we are part of
is huge.
It is massive.
It is universal.
It's invisible.
We can't see it.
But the wonderful truth of it is
it doesn't stay invisible.
It shows up in real
and physical locations.
The universal becomes local.
The invisible becomes visible.
The church has a street address.
This church is on the corner
of Fuller's Road
and View Street
in Chatswood.
And there are faces
and names of people.
There's tangible people.
There's Gary over there.
I can see Allie.
There's Leslie in front.
This church is no longer invisible.
It's local
and it's tangible.
And so Paul,
when he writes letters
to the church,
they're to specific churches.
It's to the letter,
to the church of God
in Corinth,
to the church in Galatia,
to the church of the Thessalonians
in Thessalonians.
In Thessalonians.
I can't even say that word.
It's okay.
I'll just skip it.
I'll get it later.
The church shows up
in a time and in a place.
If we're really part of God's body,
the church,
it doesn't just stay
an abstract idea
up in the clouds.
I'm a part of the church.
We don't just
get baptized into a church
and then never go again
and say,
oh yeah,
I'm a member of that church.
I was baptized there.
When we are part
of the heavenly church,
the family of God,
it shows up on earth
in a time and space
at 9 a.m.,
at 11 a.m.
on a Sunday morning
in Chatswood.
Being a member
of the universal
and invisible church
must become visible
in regular local gatherings.
The church is those
that God has called out
to be His,
to be His family.
Brothers and sisters
who show up
and meet together regularly.
I think there's a helpful way
to understand this
and this is through McDonald's.
Does anybody love Maccas?
No, the younger people
are nodding.
Yeah, James,
yeah, James.
Thank you, dear brother.
That's why we need
to support you,
to help you.
Maccas has got a franchise model.
It's universal.
It's everywhere.
It's everywhere on the planet.
I'm sure there'll be
one on the moon soon.
Head office
sets the color scheme.
They set
what the staffing conditions
are going to be like.
They set the type
what the stores look like.
But you don't go
to the head office
to get a cheeseburger.
You've got to go
to a local store.
You've got to go
to the one in the
Chatswood Interchange
across from the train station
if you want to get
a cheeseburger.
I can't say
that I go to Maccas
unless I actually turn up.
Unless I actually,
you know,
walk in the door
and push the buttons
because you don't really
talk to the people
there anymore.
The local
and universal church
is like McDonald's.
Hopefully,
we don't make you feel sick
in 30 minutes or less.
But the church
is universal.
It's everywhere
across all time and space.
It's in heaven
in a spiritual way.
It's on every continent.
But I can't say
that I'm part of a church
unless I show up.
Being part of the church
means that I show up.
And here at St. Paul's,
we get to rub shoulders
with people
from the universal church.
not all of it
but an expression of it.
And so,
being a member
of this church
means
you're also part
of the church
everywhere.
And so,
what is a church?
A church is
universal.
It's invisible
but it doesn't
stay that way.
It becomes visible
and it becomes local
when we turn up.
It's a gathering
of God's people
in a time and space.
Now,
I know what I'm supposed
to do when I go to McDonald's.
When I go there,
I'm usually there to eat
or if I'm on a long car trip,
I'm there to use the bathroom.
And there,
that's what McDonald's is for.
But what is the church
supposed to do?
What's the purpose of it?
We're all here together
in one room.
What is the point?
That's our second point
for today.
What is the purpose
of the church?
As we saw in 1 Peter,
our God is showing
mercy to people,
calling a people
to himself.
The church is
a restoration
of the vertical relationship,
of God restoring
the relationship
with us,
his people.
It's a restoration
of the vertical.
Humanity and God
are reconciled.
But there's also
a horizontal reconciliation
that happens
as the church.
The purpose of the church
is to bring unity,
unity to a scattered,
diverse,
very different collection
of warring people.
Church is the reconciliation
between God and people,
but also the reconciliation
of people and people,
bringing people
back to unity.
And so in Ephesians chapter 2,
I've got a couple of passages
from Ephesians 2,
so go to Ephesians 2,
verse 11.
Paul says,
therefore,
remember that formerly
you who are Gentiles
by birth
and called uncircumcised
by those who call themselves
the circumcision,
which is done in the body
by human hands,
remember that at that time
you were separate from Christ,
excluded from citizenship
in Israel,
and foreigners
to the covenant
of the promise,
without hope
and without God
in the world.
So all people
were scattered
and divided
from each other.
There was real painful
division between people groups,
between the Jews
and the Gentiles,
between the Gentiles
and the Gentiles,
between countries
and ethnicities.
But,
verse 13,
but now in Christ Jesus,
you who were once
far away
have been brought near
by the blood of Christ.
For he himself
is our peace
who has made
the two groups one.
He's destroyed the barrier,
the dividing wall
of hostility,
by setting aside
in his flesh
the law
with its commands
and regulations.
His purpose
was to create
in himself
one new humanity
out of the two,
thus making peace.
And in one body
to reconcile both of them
to God through the cross
by which he put to death
their hostility.
And so Jesus
gathers to himself
people who now
have peace.
The dividing walls
that people have put up
between each other,
between nations,
between ethnicities,
between next door neighbours,
big fences,
these get torn down
in Jesus.
God's great plan
is to gather people
to himself
to restore that
vertical relationship,
but also
to restore people
to each other.
And so this,
so that people would know
how great God is.
God puts warring
people together,
the lion
and the lamb,
and they don't tear
each other apart,
there is actually peace.
In Jesus,
wars have been ended,
people who have been
divided
have been brought
back together.
together.
And so before the church
is about us,
the church is about
seeing what God
has already done
and giving him
the glory.
We are,
you only have to
look around
at the different
ethnicities in the church
and go back
a hundred years
and think about
the wars that were
fought based on
countries and nations
to realise that
our God does
wonderful things.
if the US
president,
Joe Biden,
is able to
unite his
divided country
even in a small way,
it'll be amazing.
The US at the moment
is divided on
social issues,
healthcare,
Democrats versus
Republicans,
on so many issues.
But if the US
president is able
to bring a sense
of unity back
to the United States,
they'll be carving
his face
on Mount Rushmore.
He will have
done a great job.
But what God
has done in Jesus
is far,
far greater.
He has united
people across
time and space,
different languages,
ethnicities,
personal preferences,
and he has brought
us together
in one family.
Not a family
at war with itself,
one with peace.
That is who we are
to be.
One showing
God's awesomeness
in bringing peace.
A multi-ethnic,
multi-generational,
socio-economically
diverse gathering
of people declaring
that Jesus is Lord
for God's glory.
That is who we are
to be.
And that's why
I was thrilled
to have the kids
back in church
with us this morning
because they are part
of who we are
as a church.
They are not something
we push over to one side
because they're noisy
and distracting.
They are part of
who we are
as the church.
That is the big picture
purpose of church,
of what being a part
of following Jesus
means here at St. Paul's.
The author of the letter
to the Hebrews
gets more specific for us,
more practical
about the purpose
of the church
for each other.
So please turn to
Hebrews chapter 10,
starting in verse 19.
It should also be
on the screen.
Verse 19,
Therefore,
brothers and sisters,
since we have confidence
to enter the most holy place
by the blood of Jesus,
by a new and living way
open for us
through the curtain
that is his body,
since all that Jesus
has done,
since all that he has done
in his death
and resurrection,
his blood,
the author to the Hebrews
has a series
of let us statements.
Let us together
as a group
do these things.
Verse 22,
Let us draw near to God
with a sincere heart
and with a full assurance
that faith brings.
Let us draw near to God.
We follow the Lord
with faith
only because of the work
of the Holy Spirit
in our hearts
and we can understand
who this God is
by the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit
as we read his word.
And so whenever we gather,
we gather as a church
around this Jesus
and him revealed
in the Bible.
That is why,
without a doubt,
week in, week out,
we read the Bible.
When Steve or I preach
or when anybody else
is on the pulpit,
we point to the Bible.
I'm calling you
to be reading the Bible
as we read.
These are just not
my thoughts in isolation,
but I want you to see
what God's word
has for us today.
And so we draw close
to God as the church,
growing in faith
around his word.
Verse 22 continues,
having our hearts
sprinkled to cleanse us
from a guilty conscience
and having our bodies
washed with pure water.
This understanding
that we as people
have been made pure
by Jesus,
this is why often
we will say
a confession together,
acknowledging that
we are sinful people,
but we have a great God
who has dealt
with our sin.
And so we remind
each other of that.
Verse 23,
let us hold unswervingly
to the hope we profess
for he who promised
is faithful.
We remind each other
about who our hope
is in
so that we can hold
to this hope.
So at the start
of our service,
Debbie led us in
in a creed
from Colossians
to say this is who
our Jesus is
that we follow
so that we can
hold fast to him.
verse 24 continues,
and let us consider
how we may spur
one another on
toward love
and good deeds.
Let us be continuing
to encourage each other.
How can you be loving people?
How can we be doing
good deeds?
How can we be made
more like Jesus
today and every day?
These are both more
than what happens
in our church services,
but not less.
Up here,
from the pulpit,
we get to encourage
each other
to worship God,
to be in the word,
be praying,
but also after the service
as the church.
As we gather outside,
as we continue
to gather here,
as we go off for coffee,
as we stand outside
and watch our kids play,
we get to encourage
each other,
to spur each other
on to love
and good deeds,
to remind each other
of the hope
that we have.
The last in this list
of let us's
is in verse 25.
Let us
not give up
meeting together,
as some are
in the habit of doing,
but encouraging
one another
and all the more
as you see
the day approaching.
The author of the Hebrews
is speaking about
the tension between
the local
and the universal church.
It's the thought
that says,
I'm a Christian,
I can just stay
at St. Pillow
this morning,
comfortable in my bed.
I can just read my Bible
and pray at home,
God can still talk to me.
I'm a Christian,
I'm part of the church,
the universal church,
and this is true.
But it isn't true
in isolation
from being part
of the local church.
In previous years,
I may have encouraged you
to be more regular
at church,
so that you can be
encouraged to love
and good deeds
and you can encourage
others to love
and good deeds.
In previous years,
I may have done that.
But the problem for us
in the last year
is that we've been able
to meet,
we've been unable
to do what the author
of the Hebrews
commands us to do.
The church building
was closed.
We couldn't do
what this says.
We had to stop
meeting together.
And we adapted
really well.
We moved online.
We started streaming
our services
on YouTube.
We had community groups
over Zoom.
And now we continue
to live stream
our services.
And it's really wonderful
for those who are unable
to come and join
in person,
for those who are looking
to see what church is like.
Our dear brother,
Nick Freestone,
two weeks ago,
had surgery
and he couldn't be with us.
But as he said,
I loved that I could
still see what was happening.
I could still,
in a sense,
be part of church
by watching at home.
But since our return
from COVID,
there is a different
challenge before us.
We can face
the temptation
of thinking that
being part of a church
equals watching
a service.
Thinking that
watching a video
of church
is the same
as being part
of a church.
Now,
we actually want
to increase
the amount
of people watching.
It's one of our goals
that we want.
We want so many people
watching the YouTube
live stream
that people are getting
to know who we are
as a church
and can get to know Jesus.
But the live stream,
the YouTube videos,
have a purpose.
If you have a friend
who is interested
in finding out
about what church
looks like,
what goes on
in a service,
you can direct them
to youtube.com
slash St. Paul's Chatswood
and they can check it out.
But watching a service
is not being part
of a church.
I think for us,
our view of church
can be impacted
by TV habits.
I can watch and binge
whatever I like.
And I think
watching church
can be like
watching a sport.
So I could go
to an AFL game.
Let's say I'm going
to go and watch
the Swans play.
I think,
correct me if I'm wrong,
Rach,
the AFL season
is starting back soon.
Yes,
thank you dear sister.
I could go
to the game
and watch it play
in the rain
and in the cold
in the middle
of the winter.
Or I could watch it
at home
in the comfort
of my lounge.
The only problem
is that being
at church
might feel like
we're just sitting.
We're just watching
what's going on
up here.
But church
is actually
more like
we're on the field
together.
We're actually
doing something
together.
The author
of the Hebrews
has continuously
encouraged us,
let us
do these things
together.
Let us
hold each other
accountable.
Let us
love each other,
call each other
to love and good deeds.
And we can't do that
if we're at home.
We actually
have to turn up
in a time
and space
as the local church.
We are together
for the church's benefit
and for the individuals
as well
as part of the whole.
And we can't do that
if we stay at home.
We're actually
a man down
if we,
a person down
if we stay at home.
Together
as a church
we draw near to God
reminding each other
of what the blood
of Jesus has done.
And so let us
hold to that hope.
Let us spur
one another
onto love and good deeds
all the more
as the day approaches
when Jesus is going
to return.
And we need to do this
because times are hard.
Times are hard now.
Times are going
to be hard tomorrow.
More and more
as Christians move
to the periphery
of society
as society moves away
from its Christian foundations.
And we need each other.
It's why
this church
has the value
of treasuring
Jesus together.
It is so important.
Let me read
this value.
Every member
of St. Paul's
has been led
individually
by the Spirit of God
to receive Jesus Christ
as the Lord,
Saviour
and Supreme
Treasure of our lives.
The Holy Spirit
gathers us
from all variety
of individual backgrounds
and unites us together
as one body of Christ.
We believe
the people
whom Jesus
has called
into relationship
with himself
from every tribe,
language,
nation and generation
are his church
and not an institution
or building.
In an age
of individualism,
we value
vigilance
and accountability
in treasuring
Jesus together
as his diverse people.
this is who
we want to be
as a church.
Going deeper
in discipleship
and in relationship
with God
and deeper
in relationship
together.
It's about
our togetherness
as a dynamic
spiritual community
hand in hand
following
and treasuring
Jesus together.
For those
who are unable
to gather
who are watching
this right now,
I don't mean
to make you feel guilty.
I just want
to point out
that you are
missing something
about being here
as part of this church.
You are missing out
on how God
has designed
us as people
and how God
has designed
the church
to be together.
Because there is
something unique
about this
universal church
which becomes local.
Let me encourage you,
don't stop
gathering together.
This vision series
is not meant
to be a hammer blow
to make you feel
guilty about
how much you
don't read the Bible
or how much you pray
or how close you feel.
But four weeks ago
Steve set out
the vision
that we want
to be people
who are following
Jesus.
Reading the Bible
and speaking to God
because they are
wonderful things
that God
has gifted us with
by the power
of the Holy Spirit
and we get to do
this together
as the church.
With colleagues,
with close friends,
dear brothers
and sisters
to walk with you
towards Jesus
in all of life.
In December 2020,
Kenyan runner
Abel Mutai
was the first
to cross the finish line
in a cross-country race
in Spain.
At least,
he thought he was
the first
to cross the line.
Ivan Fernandez Anaya,
who is the man
you can see behind him,
a Spanish competitor,
was right behind Mutai
and he knew better.
He knew
that the Kenyan runner
Abel hadn't actually
finished the race.
He thought he'd finished
but he hadn't gotten
across the line
and Ivan,
the Spanish man,
had a chance.
He thought,
I could have taken over.
I could have won
but instead of taking
advantage of the situation,
he plowed into him,
ran into him
and he gestured.
He urged him forward
to finish the race.
He could have stolen it
but he encouraged him on.
We are not quite
like those two runners.
We are more like
the runners in this photo.
We are part of a pack,
a big group of people,
different ages,
ethnicities,
genders.
We are more like
the people running
in this photo,
running together
to Jesus,
urging one another on.
Come on,
you've fallen over.
Get up.
Let me help you get up.
I'm not going to leave you.
The finish line is here.
Jesus is here.
Let's go together.
Are you part
of this church?
Are you part
of this church
maybe with a trial membership?
Are you deeply connected
to people in this church?
Have you opened
your life
to actually allow
other people
to come in
so that they can
urge you on
when you fall down
so that you can
urge others on?
First of all,
get connected
into a community group.
Come and see me.
Join a team.
Join a team
to serve
with other people
as we follow Jesus.
Go and drink coffee.
Invite somebody out.
The person sitting
next to you,
if you don't know them,
get to know them.
We can try
to run this race
following Jesus
on our own,
but our God
hasn't designed us
that way.
He has given
to each of us
each other.
The church,
one body,
local
and universal,
showing the world
how good this God
is in uniting us
as we charge
towards him.
Let me pray.
Amen.
Heavenly Father,
we ask that we
would be that type
of church.
That we would not
try to go it
on our own
in faith,
thinking that we
are an island,
but Lord,
you have given us
each other.
Lord,
we ask that you
would help us
to walk together,
run together,
to be people
who are aware
of the needs
of the community
of believers
around us
so that we can
spur each other on.
Father,
give us much
patience and compassion
to love each other.
Lord,
help us to get
to know each other
deeply.
Lord,
help us to be
a community
that welcomes
people in,
but also
wants to know
each other,
to walk together
so that we
can follow you
with all of our lives
and all of our hearts,
Lord.
We ask this
in your son's name
and for your glory.
Amen.