So, what is the church? Some of you might be tempted to think that the worldwide church is basically all those people who go to church regularly thoughout the world.
However. If we look at what the bible teaches us, we’ll find that God views the Church slightly differently.
The Church is as Jesus says in verse 26 of today’s gospel reading, made up of those individuals in whom Jesus himself lives by his spirit.
The worldwide Church includes every human being – who has genuinely repented and in whom the spirit of Jesus has come to take up residence, regardless of their denomination or lack of denomination.
In the Old Testament God’s presence lived in the temple in Jerusalem – but Jesus came to introduce a new covenant – and now God’s presence lives in each individual born again Christian.
So, when as Christians we assemble, the presence of God is always in and among us. This is why Jesus said; “where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
The Church is described in the bible as a building made of people, founded and built on Jesus who is the chief cornerstone. The whole building rests on him and it is made of living stones – in other words all believers – you and me.
And God now lives in this living building made of Christians.
Many of the Church of England’s problems and disagreements occur, because there are a lot of people in positions of influence and authority in it, who are not born again, who don’t have the spirit of Jesus living in them – and who therefore have their own worldly agendas and ideas.
The same is true for other denominations, and such people generally don’t accept or submit to the authority of scripture, of the bible.
You see it is not for us to sit in judgement on the bible and choose which bits we accept or agree with. All scripture is God breathed and as Christians we should submit to and uphold its teaching, even when its not popular or politically correct.
So, to answer my first question the real Church – God’s church - crosses all denominations and continents and includes every born-again believer - everyone in whom the spirit of Jesus is living.
And because Jesus lives in us, we are his physical body in the world, and he works through us. He speaks through our mouths. He shows people his love using our hands and arms and eyes. He shows people his character through our lives and words and actions.
And we are charged by him to share his gospel and to make him known to the world. The church is called by Jesus to witness to and proclaim the gospel to everyone.
Famously in Matthews gospel he gives us the great Co-mission.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
It is a great Co-mission, as it is Jesus himself working in us and through us to make himself known and to extend his kingdom – his rule and reign in people’s hearts and lives.
Our central message to the world is of course the gospel. As Paul puts it in his second letter to the Corinthians – “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
So, to answer my second question, what is the gospel? - the core of the gospel message is that Jesus loves every person he has created and has died for every person he has created on the cross in order that we can be reconciled to God and forgiven. And he was raised from death so that we can share in his resurrection.
But sharing the gospel also involves sharing God’s love in whatever way is appropriate – showing people that God is good and that he cares for them.
Most people don’t respond to the gospel message straight away. They need to experience something of the love of God. They need to taste and see that the Lord is good and then they will be far more likely to respond to the gospel.
So, what does this mean for us in practice? Well it means that as individual Christians and as a Church, people will likely need to see or experience something of the love of God in us, before they are ready to respond to the gospel.
For instance, it’s no good going up to a homeless person who is cold and hungry and telling them that Jesus loves them and patting them on the head and walking off.
However, if we were to take them for something to eat and buy them a warm coat, then perhaps they will be more open to hearing that there is a God and he loves them.
I keep in touch on Facebook with an old friend who is vicar of a lively Anglican church in Gloucestershire. And sometimes I listen to his talks.
In one of them he recounted how he took his bicycle to the local shop to get it repaired. And the young lad in the bike shop was limping because he’d hurt his knee.
My friend asked him if he’d mind if he prayed for him.
As he prayed, the young man felt heat and warmth on his knee and my friend explained that this was God healing him. The young man couldn’t believe that Jesus was alive and still healed people today so my friend invited him to come on an Alpha course and find out more.
Do you see that this young man probably wasn’t ready to understand the gospel but after he’d tasted and seen that the Lord was good he was much more open to finding out more.
Of course it’s not just charitable acts or healing that draws people to Christ. Its also our lives and our witness as individuals and as a church.
I remember an elderly cousin of mine who was also a lay reader explaining to me how he and his wife had become Christians after they’d lost a baby.
He said that this Christian couple had come along side them in their grief and had loved them into God’s kingdom. They had befriended and comforted them.
My cousin said they’d built a bridge of friendship and that Jesus had walked over that bridge into their lives.
Now these are great stories but how in practice can we in our weakness replicate these stories of love and healing? How like my friend for instance, can we find the confidence and faith to offer to pray for someone’s healing and see results?
So, to try and answer my third question, how can we share the gospel effectively?
Well the answer I think, is quite simply through growing and maintaining a close relationship with God.
There is no other way and there are no short cuts. We need to develop habits of spending time alone with God like Jesus did. We need to read our bible’s regularly and ask God to speak to us and build our faith.
Each day we need to ask God to fill us afresh with his Holy Spirit – with his life and his love.
And then we need to walk with God day by day through our lives offering ourselves to him as living sacrifices.
In other words surrendering ourselves to God and inviting him to reach out to people and work through us in whatever way he chooses.
Its not easy to do this and the world is constantly trying to distract us – but this is how Jesus calls us to live.
And of course we need to learn to listen for and discern God’s voice in our lives.
Jesus said; “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
In other words, if you are a Christian and the spirit of Jesus is living in you – he speaks to you.
In fact he probably speaks to us much more than we realise but a lot of the time we perhaps miss what he’s saying because we aren’t attuned to his voice or the ways he speaks to us.
Again – there are no short cuts, we each need to learn over time how God is speaking to us. Sometimes its through other people, sometimes it’s a gentle prompting, sometimes its through a bible verse which really stands out.
Sometimes for me its through little pictures in my mind’s eye.
I think the reason my friend was able to pray with confidence for this young lad’s knee was that he recognised the prompting of God. He recognised that this was a good work which God had prepared in advance for him to do – and so he knew that God would be with him as he prayed.
You see Christianity is about living in a love relationship with our creator – that is knowing his love for us and then seeking to share it.
Its not about religion. Religion is about us trying to impress God by doing religious stuff. But the gospel frees us from religion and trying to impress God – because through the gospel we are set free from having to try and impress God.
Jesus lived a perfect life for us. He measured up whereas we – however religious we are – will always fall short. And when we put our faith in Jesus, God no longer sees us in the light of our sin and failure but in the light of Jesus’ perfect life.
And God accepts us because we have done the work he required of us which is simply to believe in Jesus.
As Jesus said; “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent."
As members of God’s Church we are charged by God to share the good news of his saving love and to make this love known, but not in order to be saved – but rather as a response of love, because we are saved.
God lives in every believer and he longs to be expressed in every believer’s life. He longs to reach out through us in order to make himself and the good news of his son’s sacrifice and resurrection known.
And we are to offer ourselves to him in service as living sacrifices and to be co-workers with him in this great Co-mission.
I’d like to close with a time of prayer where we can each reflect on how we are offering ourselves in service to God and how we are expressing and sharing the good news of God’s love with those around us.
So, in a few moments of quiet share anything my talk may have raised with your loving creator.
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