27 June 2013 by Adeline Lum CM-
On June 23, Pastor Chris Kam in DUMC explored our varying perceptions about churches in conjuntion with the 'Cell Church Weekend.'
Like the story of six blind men feeling the different parts of an elephant, all of us have varying views of the church. But do our views show what church really is?
IDEAS OF CHURCH
Some of us derived church from our good or bad past experiences, while other’s derived church from the pop culture. For instance, church is boring in ‘Mr Bean’, while church is a place for weddings and funerals in Korean dramas.
The media may also affect our idea about church, which unfortunately is bent on highlighting mistakes and grievances for the sake of sensation.
Also, we can also get our idea about church from our projection of personal needs and preferences. And depending on our projections, we could see a church as a concert, school, club, hospital, petrol station or shopping mall to us.
But all of these ideas do not offer an accurate picture of what church is.
For example, a church is not a concert because God is our audience and we are the worshippers. Instead of asking ‘how I feel about worship’, the right question should be ‘how is God feeling about me?’
Also, a church is not a hospital. While the wounded and sick are discharged from the hospital after recovery, those who are healed in church remain to become doctors and nurses per se to heal others.
A church is not a petrol station. Instead of expecting our pastors to recharge us every weekend, we need to depend on the Holy Spirit to recharge us, so that we can bless others.
Finally, a church is not a shopping mall. Akin to leaving brands when they did not meet our expectations, some of us would also ‘jump ship’ when we are dissatisfied with our church. Loyalty to our church is important for its growth.
Hence, if we view the church like how the blind men view the elephant, we missed the true meaning of church.
HOW CHURCH STARTED?
The word ‘church’ is translated from the word ‘ekklesia’ in the Bible, which meant assembly of people, not a building.
In the early days, Christians typically met in homes due to heavy persecution then. But when the Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian in AD 312, thousands of people accepted Christ. As a result, the homes became too small for people to assemble and basilicas were built to house more people. Since then, the church has evolved from a personal and active sharing in a tight circle, to an impersonal and passive listening to the pastor who became the performer.
How do we relive church in the older days? Let us look into the Bible.
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT CHURCH
Pastor Chris shared that Philippians 2:25 defined the three key roles of a church.
Philippians 2:25
But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.
A church is a family
Firstly, Epaphroditus was called as a brother, which also meant family (Phil 2:25). Likewise, we address each other as brother-in-Christ or sister-in-Christ, which also meant family.
But what if our family is too big? In Exodus 18:13-15, Moses brought more than three million people from Egypt to the Promised Land. Obviously, bonds are difficult to form in such a massive family size. Hence, it is no wonder an average churchgoer reportedly speaks only about 20 words in church.
How can we build family bonds then? We can build them in a cell group or care group, which mirrored how the early Christians had ‘church’ at homes. In a cell group that could run from five to 20 people, we can build each other up by a word of encouragement or even rebuke (1 Cor 14:26).
1 Cor 14:26
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.
A church is a corporation
Secondly, Epaphroditus was called as co-worker, which also meant corporation.
In Exodus 18:17-23, Jethro advised Moses to assign godly men to lead over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens, to prevent Moses from burning out.
Similar to DUMC, the leaders over the tens are the cell leaders, followed by zone leaders, zone pastors, District Pastors and finally, the Senior Pastor who lead the whole church. A normal system used by secular corporations today, this system has been used since Moses’ time.
A church is an army
Thirdly, Epaphroditus was called as a fellow-soldier, which also meant army.
2 Timothy 2:4
No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.
Like how a soldier obeys and follows his commander, we must also obey and follow our church pastor or leader in the Word and Spirit. If the commander asked the soldier to jump, he or she should ask “how high?” and not “why?”
Can you imagine every time when God asked Moses to move his camp, hundreds of people would questioned Moses “why?” To respond effectively to a need, the church must be able to mobilize God's people immediately and effectively.
WHAT CHURCH TRULY MEANS
In conclusion, a church is a family, a corporation and an army, where seeking a balance between these three elements is absolutely crucial.
If we swing too much on the family side, we become too inward looking and forget about the world vision of one church in Christ. If we focus too much on the corporate side, we become too process-based and lose the personal touch. Lastly, if we focus too much on the army side, we could overwork ourselves to death.
A cell-based church, DUMC ‘mandated’ that every church member is involved in a cell group because that is where we experience church in a more personal and enriching level.
Are you joining any cell group or care group in your church currently?
For more information about DUMC, please visit http://dumc.my/
Click here to listen to this sermon online
Dear Viewers in Christ, if you find this article edifying to you, please share with your friends or loved ones by using the social media plugs (Share, Email to this article). The Lord will surely bless you as you bless others. May the Lord’s peace and love be with you.
References for pictures:
http://lewx.tripod.com/bg-church1.jpg
http://blog.ninapaley.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/BlindMenElephant_720.png
http://www.photomalaysia.com/gallery/data/512/medium/117.JPG
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