Celebrating the Past, Serving the Future | The Building Blocks Of The Church
Cultivating the Past, Serving the Future: (Part II)
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE CHURCH
Ephesians 2:19-22 (ESV)
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
I would like to start this morning by greeting us: “Happy 38th Anniversary!” Truly, throughout these 38 years of existence as a church, the Lord has never failed providing and protecting our church. He also has faithfully empowered and expanded our ministries. So, today, we should really celebrate the goodness of the Lord because of everything He has done for us!
Of course, every time we speak of the church, we always want to be clear that in the New Testament, this title refers to the people, the body of believers who have believed in Jesus Christ, and not the building that simply identifies where the people of God are gathering. We love to say, “We are the church.”
However, we also cannot deny the fact that in the New Testament, there are very specific passages that portray the church as a building. For example, last Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching from 1 Peter 2:4-10, and the apostle Peter compared the church to a “Spiritual House” (v. 5). While this morning, the apostle Paul refers to the church as the “Holy Temple.” If you were here last Sunday, I specifically mentioned that this metaphor is an amazing description of the New Testament church because the first Temple built in Jerusalem was great and glorious in beauty. Listen carefully to the statement that King Solomon made when he built the temple for God:
2 Chronicles 2:5 (ESV)
5 The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
Clearly, the ultimate motive why the temple was built with absolute beauty and glory was because it belongs to the greatest God of all. And this place is where He dwells here on earth! I would like all of us to take this truth to heart, especially throughout this month as we talk about the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You see; I know that there are so many people in the world today who do not have a positive image of the church. Often, they see the church as weak and unattractive, full of people who are ignorant and uninformed. And because of these wrong perceptions, they don’t want to have any part in the church. But, I hope and pray that for us, who believe in Jesus and are members of the church, we should know better. We should never lose sight of the truth that we are truly beautiful and special in the sight of God!
Going back to the image of the church as a building, last Sunday, we highlighted our Cornerstone, the Lord Jesus Christ. We explicitly said that He ought to be the very foundation of our lives and our church. And that if we fail to build our lives in Him, we will never be safe and secured. Just like the lyrics one of the hymns –
“On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand.”
For our sermon this morning, we would like to emphasize another essential part of the church, which are the building blocks. The main passage I have chosen is one of the letters that the apostle Paul wrote while he was imprisoned in Rome between 61-63 A.D. I consider this Epistle as my favorite book in the New Testament, because of its overriding theme, which is: Our Riches in Jesus Christ. Pay attention to these three verses within the book:
Ephesians 1:7 (“riches of his grace”)
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.Ephesians 1:18 (“riches of his glorious inheritance”)
18 “[H]aving the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…”Ephesians 3:8 (“unsearchable riches of Christ”)
8 “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ…”
These are definitely obvious reasons why, as believers of Jesus Christ, we should always feel blessed. Now, within these rich blessings we have received, we are also the building blocks of the church (verses 21-22). Allow me to show you the essential applications of this doctrine:
I THE BLESSED POSITIONS IN THE LORD (v. 19)
Last Sunday, we covered our theme – Christ, Our Cornerstone. We have established that because we are able to draw life from Jesus Christ, we were directly given some blessed positions in Him – Spiritual House, Holy Priesthood, and Chosen Race.
As we examine our main text this morning, the apostle Paul has also stated that there are at least three more blessed positions that can help us appreciate even more our salvation in Jesus Christ. Here are they:
A. No Longer Strangers and Foreigners (Aliens)
Since the majority of the recipients of this letter were Gentiles, they always felt they were separated and isolated from the blessings and privileges that God has bestowed to the nation of Israel. Remember, Israel was God’s chosen people, so they were assured of God’s providential care and protection. In other words, God made a special promise to this nation that He will always be taking care of them.
Therefore, if you are not a Jew, you are just looking in, but you are not included in God’s special care and attention. However, once you become a believer of Jesus Christ, the Lord removed the barrier and gave you the full benefits and privileges of a citizen. Let’s expand this idea and add the second blessed position:
B. Fellow Citizen with the Saints
Again, while you were isolated from God as a Gentile, you are in a very disadvantageous position. Paul explained this drawback plainly in the earlier verses of the same chapter:
Ephesians 2:11-12 (ESV)
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Let’s especially highlight the last part of verse 12 – “strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” This description simply means that you really don’t have any hope in life because you are isolated from God’s precious promises and from God Himself. It’s almost like, if you are in another country and something tragic happens to you, you are at a tremendous disadvantage because you are not a citizen of that country. You need to go to the embassy of the country where you have your citizenship in order to obtain the best help. Praise God that’s not applicable for Christians anymore. Why? It is because although we don’t become Jews, once we become believers, we become a full-pledged citizen of heaven, which is the Kingdom of God. Paul referred to this truth in Philippians 3:20 (ESV):
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
The truth is this is first-class citizenship because the King is God Himself, and the Kingdom and its citizens are set to last forever. By the way, we need to highlight the word “saints” in the verse because this title specifically applies to the Old Testament believers. Imagine, think about the Old Testament heroes we admire the most. Paul said that you and I are elevated on the same level as them. That’s pretty amazing, right?
C. Members of the Household of God
The third blessed position is really more intimate because the reference is now moved to a family. Let me ask you, would the president, or a king of a certain country, or kingdom know all his citizens? That would be impossible! However, the family is smaller in size and is really closer in a relationship. In a family, the Father would absolutely know its members. In the same way, the church is God’s family. With citizenship, it is the sense of duty or responsibility that binds people together. But in the family, it is love that holds members together. Of course, the head doesn’t change – He is the same great God for both His Kingdom and family!
This morning, if we belong to both—God’s Kingdom and His family—we should be rejoicing because of these blessed positions. Whenever we find ourselves in difficult situations in life, my prayer is that we would know how to leverage our positions to our advantage.
II THE BONDED PARTNERSHIP IN THE LORD (v. 21)
First of all, I would like us to notice that I’m intentionally skipping verse 20 because I already talked about this truth last Sunday on Christ: Our Cornerstone. Now, the second application that we want to emphasize is that we, as believers, are the building blocks of the church. Notice verse 21 – “being joined together.” In the King James Version, this phrase would be translated as “fitly framed together.”
In order to appreciate this rendering, first of all, we need to recognize that during the Bible times, buildings were not made of bricks that come with uniform sizes. They were always made of stones of different sizes, but were beautifully fitted together with other stones to make up the strong walls of the building. The fitly framed stones basically speak of our bonded partnership as members of the church.
In order to reinforce this concept, Paul uses the very same words, but applies this concept to the analogy of the body:
Ephesians 4:16 (KJV)
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
What’s the difference between the fitly framed stones and the fitly framed body? Well, with the first one, the coming together of the different sizes and types of stones is really for the strength of the body. If there are lots of gaps and holes in-between, water can start to sip in, and strong winds can penetrate through, which will eventually weaken the structure of the building.
Second, the body with different parts fitly framed together produces coordination and vitality. With the body, every part is important and must function according to their design. When one part of the body malfunctions, even the smallest part, the vitality and effectivity of the entire body will be affected.
I trust that all of us will recognize that our church needs to apply both of these concepts. Despite all our differences (our levels of maturity, our ethnicities, and our abilities), we need to do our best to do at least two things:
1. Stay Connected
Let’s not allow ourselves to be isolated and disconnected from the church. Once we isolate ourselves, we would give the Devil the greater opportunity to target us as individuals and as a congregation. Remember, we cannot afford to have gaps and holes in our structures.
2. Strengthen Coordination and Cooperation
Just like the body with different parts, every part must be willing to work with the other parts. There’s no need for comparison or competition because, at the end of the day, the ultimate glory should only go to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you go back to Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he provided some clear exhortations concerning the unity of the church:
Ephesians 4:1-6 (KJV)
1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
The key verses here would be 2 and 3. Verse 2 talks about some godly attitudes that produce unity. Without them, coordination and cooperation would be impossible. Then, in verse 3, we need to do whatever it takes to maintain the unity the Holy Spirit gave us. Obviously, since it is the Holy Spirit who gave this unity, anyone who is not helping to produce this unity in the church is grieving the Holy Spirit of God (Ephesians 4: 30). We need each other to be stronger and healthier in order to accomplish our ultimate purpose of bringing glory to God.
III THE BOUNDLESS PROGRESSION IN THE LORD
For my last point, I would like to emphasize these words in verse 21 – “grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” You see, after the apostle Paul talks about our blessed positions and bonded partnership, he also stresses the end result, which is the continuous growth of the church. I have referred to this as the boundless progression of the church.
Beloved, God is not yet done in growing His church today. He wants to continually reach to as many people as possible through His church. Let’s pause and ask the question – Why is the growth of the church important to God? If you go back to the text again, it attaches this prepositional phrase – “into a holy temple in the Lord.” In other words, as the church grows, the holy temple of the Lord will also grow in the world.
Let’s explore this more by asking, “Why did God allow His house to be built amongst the people?” First and foremost, we need to establish the fact that the great God cannot really be contained in a building. King Solomon acknowledges this truth in 1 Kings 8:27 (ESV):
27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!
This statement is so true. However, God Himself commanded the building of the Tabernacle and the Temple, so He can continually convey His desire to have a relationship with His people. Notice these words in Exodus 25:8 (ESV):
8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.
The idea of God dwelling in the midst of the people was a precious concept among the Israelites in the Old Testament. They recognized that they were able to go to Him and seek His forgiveness when they have sinned against Him, to pray whenever they needed Him, and to worship Him in adoration and honor physically. Spiritually speaking, it is like God restoring the sweet fellowship that Adam and Eve once had in the Garden of Eden.
In the same way, this is exactly what Jesus had accomplished for us when He went to the cross. After He had finished His work, He has opened the privilege once again for people to have fellowship with Him. So, as the church grows, God’s presence in the world just keeps on growing. And we should continue to help the church grow because there are still so many people who need the presence of God in their lives.
As I close this sermon, I hope and pray that we will always be grateful for this relationship that we have with the Lord. Let’s not forget that although our salvation from God entailed knowing Him personally and individually, He doesn’t want us to exist by ourselves, isolated and independent from other believers. We are always better off when we unite ourselves with others and depend on each other to accomplish our missions as the church of the Lord Jesus.
-Dr. Jeremiah Lepasana