The Church as Community

Christian Living Series 4 of 9

October 4, 1987

"The Eleventh Commandment"

Ephesians 4:12-13; 15-16;17-32

Just this week I took relatives to Plymouth. It isn't the Rock that fascinates me there. It is the memorial at the top of the little hill there, overlooking the harbor. I never get over the powerful sense of community that brought those people to these hostile shores.

I imagine also that many pioneers had the same sense of community as they trekked across the country in wagons, looking for a land of promise in the "Western reserve"— or further. In the past many communities have been welded together by common enemies, common visions of peace or purity. They appeal to us in some vague way— but seem somehow highly impractical...

Compare/contrast: Pilgrims/pioneers// "People's Church (Jim Jones)" . . . all had a "vision" a dream of Utopia . . .a place to go— modern day Hutterites very much a viable community.

But if we will look, such a challenge to community is found in the doctrine of the CHURCH, and here is one outline for us to look at and pray about: We are all familiar with "The Ten Commandments" that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai, the laws that are the basis and hope for morality in our world today. And it is commonly accepted that "The Eleventh Commandment" is the commandment which Jesus gave that we should love God and man. Nobody is against "love." But do we make the connection between the commandment: "Love one another!" and the concept and idea of living in fellowship with the Church of Jesus Christ?

It is easy to talk about love, and to abstract about what love is, and even relatively easy to set up communes where everyone involved is supposed to operate out of pure love. It is another thing to carry out Christ's love into the nitty-gritty of peeling potatoes and carrying the weak and bringing home the bacon. Most "communes"— even Christian efforts— miserably fail.

And it is just as hard to deliberately be a part of a congregation made up of imperfect people who are sincerely trying to carry out God's will and be a part of Christ's Body, the CHURCH!

Between the idea and the carrying out there all too often seems to come frustration and failure. What is stopping us here from establishing a community of pure love and harmony in keeping with "The Eleventh Commandment?"

Should we strive to do that? I believe we already ARE striving to do just that! But look with me at some practical aspects of God's grace manifested in the church: look with me realistically at the idea of UNITY: as a fact, a reality, but also as a goal — never being daunted because the IDEAL is not seen in the way we think it OUGHT to be seen. Is that realistic? How can we do such an idealistic thing in the pragmatic present?

I. WE NEED A COMMON DESTINATION- A GOAL BEFORE US CONSTANTLY

And the first part of the chapter gives us this ideal: (vv12,13 "...so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith, and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attainting to the FULL MEASURE OF PERFECTION FOUND IN CHRIST." (cf 3:19 "filled with all the fullness of God.")

We need to join our personal goals with those of Christ for His entire Body!
When we pray "Thy kingdom come! " we are affirming the community of faith! And we are saying: Keep this GOAL before us!

II. WE NEED A SIMPLE PLAN TO CARRY US FORWARD TOWARD THIS GOAL

And in verse 16 is the Divine Plan spelled out: Each member, each part, is to be connected with the Living Head: "...from HIM (Christ the Head) the whole body being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies according to the proper working of each individual part causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

The Separatists (Pilgrims) had to entrust themselves to God by way of men they trusted: Pastor Robinson, Elder Brewster, for spiritual leadership; Miles Standish for secular government; the master of the Mayflower for transportation.
We need to entrust ourselves to God, and seek more than a "nominal" or "intellectual" faith in Jesus Christ. He is the living Head— and every member of His body can be led by Christ. True, Christ will probably lead through people. But there must be the vital, living connection.

III. WE CAN BE AWARE OF A MIGHTY POWER THAT ENABLES US TO CARRY OUT THE BEAUTIFUL PLAN

Beautiful plans and schemes are plentiful: plans that work are few and far between.

The church is to be built on integrity; and on genuine caring:
(17) Walk no longer as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind being darkened in their understanding excluded from the LIFE OF GOD because of the ignorance that is in them because of the hardness of their heart having become callous given over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. BUT YOU DID NOT LEARN CHRIST IN THIS WAY! YOU have been taught that you lay aside the old self which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth therefore laying aside falsehood speak truth each one of you with his neighbor for we are members of one another.
And the church is built on INTER-DEPENDENCE:
(v 25) "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
This is the identical thought Paul expresses in Romans 12:5
"So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others."

IV. WE HAVE A GREAT TEACHER AND GUIDE IN THIS GREAT ADVENTURE (VV 29-30)

(And the 11th commandment here has another serious commandment, a 'negative' side to the positive "Love one another!" and that is :DO NOT GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD!)

The Holy Spirit is NOT "looking for reasons to leave;" but also, He never forces Himself on those who do not want HIM!

Evidently this is a list of the things that can grieve the Spirit: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice...

And definitely, here is what PLEASES God: (verse 32) KINDNESS! COMPASSION! A SENSE OF COMMUNITY!

Conclusion:

It may not strike you as attractive to join a community of faith. You may not see the need, like Pilgrims did, or pioneers.
But in reality their physical existence very closely parallels our own. WE ARE ALL ON A VOYAGE TO A NEW WORLD. We are in hostile territory, in alien culture. We MAY be able to survive on our own, but it is highly doubtful. We need the church of Jesus Christ. My own immediate family did not come through the wars unscathed— and I shudder to think of the awesome task of rearing godly children today in our almost wholly secular society!
Children's ministry is NOT (just) Marilyn Stark's task! And while it IS the family's primary responsibility, it isn't just the "parents' task," either! It must be one of this church's priorities!
LET'S GET OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY TO HEAVEN! LET'S REACH AFTER THAT FULL MEASURE OF PERFECTION FOUND IN CHRIST!
WE HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM, AND A SUPPORT GROUP. WE NEED TO FIND EACH OTHER; WE NEED TO HELP EACH OTHER. We need to love each other— and as Reuben Welch said so eloquently and so simply: We really do NEED each other!
WE CALL THIS SUPPORT SYSTEM AND SUPPORT GROUP: THE CHURCH! We need to dedicate the rest of our lives to Christ's church: to
1. obedience and submissiveness to HIM; as well as to
2. finding and using our gifts to the full;
3. we will have opportunity both for personal growth AND for sacrifice.

But church is not an option. And church is not just for our benefit- it is the Bride of Christ, and His Body.

#47 (EH) God of Grace and God of Glory