What is the Church?
A quick view suggests that the Church is just like any other earthly organisation. The latter consists of a leader leading a group of people to serve a particular purpose. Similarly, the Church has a leader (a pastor or a board of elders) leading a congregation to serve a particular mission.
If the Church is just like any other earthly organisation, there is nothing extraordinary about her. We will treat her the way we treat any earthly organisation, like our learning institutes and workplaces.
Nevertheless, sometimes we can be blinded by what we can see. Our eyes see the façade of the Church – the place, the programme, the pastor and the people. Yet these things are merely vessels holding on to the mystery of the Church.
The Church is unlike any human organisation. She is a supernatural entity.
The Church has a supernatural origin
When we try to trace the origin of the Church, we realise it is not the first disciples, Peter, James, or Paul who founded the church.
To know her origin, we need to look back to the Old Testament. In the OT, God made a covenant with Abraham to make him a great nation. Then God chose Israel, the descendants of Abraham, and made a covenant with them that He will be their God and they will be His people. Ancient Israel was then an earthly community belonging to God. But God intends to include the Gentiles into this community right from the start. He accomplished this through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ Himself declared “I will build my church” (Matt 16:18), signifying God’s intention to establish the Church through His Son. Through the blood of Christ, both Jews and Gentiles can now become part of the family of God called the Church (Eph 2:11-22). The NT further reveals that Jesus Christ is to be the Head of the Church (Col 1:17-18). He therefore is the divinely appointed Leader of the Church.
Thus the Church is not man’s invention, but God’s creation. The Church is not to be governed by popular votes but by the rule of Christ, her Leader.
Unsurprisingly, the Church has a special place in God’s heart. In 1 Corinthians, Paul rebuked the church for being factious and divisive. He solemnly reminded them: “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:16)
Think for a moment what this means. The Maker of heaven and earth, who parted the Red Sea and descended upon Mount Sinai with clouds, thunder and earthquakes, has chosen to make the Church His holy abode.
Therefore, the Church is not a convenience store but a holy dwelling place of God. She is not to be filled with consumer preferences but with God’s presence.
The Church has supernatural power
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matt 16:18-19
Matt 16:18-19 suggests that the church is invincible. Attacks from hell will not prevail against her. She is so powerful, so much so that what she does on earth will impact heaven.
Wherein lies her power? What is the weapon that the Church possesses that makes her so invincible?
Romans 1:16 tells us that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation. The gates of hell cannot prevail against the Gospel, for man’s eternity is purchased through the blood of Christ once and for all. The Gospel is the keys to the kingdom of heaven. How one responds to it on earth will have eternal consequences.
The Church is given this Gospel and entrusted with the mission to bring this Gospel to the lost world. Apostle Paul echoes that God has given the Church the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18). The Church is to be an ambassador of Christ and the Gospel (2 Cor 5:20).
The Church therefore is not a cosy club but a mission outpost. What she possesses is of great eternal value. What she does with it will have great eternal consequences.
The Church is a supernatural community
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
The Church shares a supernatural lineage not defined by earthly ethnicity, culture, traditions or economic status. This special lineage is in Christ and His blood (Eph 2:12-22). Through Christ, we all have the same access to the Father.
The Church observes a supernatural code. Every country has her own set of laws that her citizens abide to. The Church abides to the values of the kingdom of God which includes love, truth, righteousness, faith, humility, compassion, purity and holiness.
The Church has a supernatural identity. We all share an underlying need of belongingness. Belonging to something great gives us a sense of prestige (worth), protection and purpose. 1 Pet 2:9 declares that the Church is “a people for His own possession”. In other words, we are a people belonging to the Lord Most High! What an honour to be children of God, to acquire His divine protection and serve His grand purposes.
The Church has a supernatural calling. She is a royal priesthood of God called to proclaim His goodness to the world. Being priests of God mean through Christ, we have access to God at any time and place. We also are given the ministry of reconciliation to bring men to God through the Gospel of Christ. This supernatural vocation transcends over our earthly occupations. Whether we are a student, a homemaker, an employee or an employer, we are to be priests to bring men to God by bringing the Gospel to them.
Therefore the Church is a supernatural community. The Church is not a place but a special group of people sharing a supernatural lineage, code, identity, and calling. She is not to serve human agendas but God’s purposes.
The Church has a supernatural destiny
“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Rev 21:2-4
Rev 21:2-4 describes the Church as likened to a bride beautifully adorned for her husband, Jesus Christ. This then is the supernatural destiny of the Church. In the day of Christ’s return, the Church shall be made wholly pleasing to God. She shall no longer taste pain, sadness, decay, death or separation, and God will dwell among her through eternity.
Therefore the Church is not a temporal set up but an eternal entity. Unlike human organisations that may cease to exist, the Church is formed to exist forever. This means the relationships we form with fellow believers in the Church will last through eternity. We are truly BFFs (Best Friends Forever).
Response
Let us have a high regard for the Church knowing of her supernatural origin. Let us acknowledge the lordship of Christ over the Church. Before we ever want to think or speak ill of the Church, remember who owns her and who is her leader. Let us not judge her based on our human opinions nor treat her like just another earthly organisation. We should not make her to suit our own preferences nor use her for our own consumption or to serve our own agendas.
Secondly, let us consider our commitment to the Church knowing she is a supernatural and eternal community. We should value the connections we have with fellow believers of the Church and seek to invest in these relationships. If you like to come to church to worship God but don’t like to fellowship with God’s people, then you are not coming to Church at all and your worship is deficient in nature.
Consider we have 168 hours a week. Given that we sleep an average of 7 hours per night, that leave us with 120 waking hours per week. In an ordinary week, our work or school takes up between 35% to 45% (42 to 60 hours per week) of these waking hours. Family obligations and personal leisure takes up about 35% (40 hours per week). Most of us spend less than 12 hours per week (less than 10% our waking hours) for Church related activities. If the Church is not like any earthly organisation but is a supernatural and eternal community, it seems so disproportionate when we compare the time we devote to her and to other earthly engagements. Yet sadly, the Church is always accused by her members of taking too much time away. When these members go through stresses of life, the first thing they cut will be the Church.
Finally, let us love the Gospel and be faithful stewards of the Gospel. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation. It is the keys to the kingdom of heaven. How one responds to the Gospel on earth has eternal consequences. The Church has a sacred calling to demonstrate and proclaim it. For the Church is not a place or a programme but a people belonging to God to serve the Gospel’s mandate.