The Church Jesus Would Attend Part 2-Part A

Now it can happen, and often does, that over time, churches, organizations will turn inward to themselves. Even though Jesus said, go into all the world, somehow we have learned to interpret that as Jesus saying, come ye to our churches. And I do think that evangelism can take place in church, at our meetings, it often does, but that's only the beginning. We are to go, we are to be sent. You know, way back in 1992, Christian music group DC Talk released an album called Free at Last. On that album was a song called Love is a Verb, which claims that love is a word that requires some action. Well, the same is true of the word church.

We most commonly think of that word as a noun, a place we go to worship God, but it's a word that should also be a verb. We should put it into action and take church with us wherever we go. We'll explain how to do that on today's broadcast of Connect with Skip, weekend edition. But before we get to Skip Heitzig's message, here's what we have for you this month in the Connect with Skip Resource Center. New York Times bestselling author Joel Rosenberg is now based in Jerusalem, and he's releasing the new nonfiction book, Enemies and Allies. I've traveled with Joel to Middle East cities to meet with kings and crown princes. We sat together on the east lawn of the White House for the signing of the historic Abraham Accords, and I previewed his new book, Enemies and Allies. I can tell you it contains never before published quotes from behind closed door meetings with some of the most powerful and mysterious leaders in the Middle East. You will want to read this book. Enemies and Allies by Joel Rosenberg includes insights and analysis from the author's conversations with some of the most controversial leaders in the world.

This is the first book of its kind. Almost nobody's ever had that chance to not just meet one of these major leaders, but to meet almost all of them, and then to get to tell the story in first-person language. Come with me into the palace, into the motorcade, and come meet the most interesting, consequential, and controversial leaders in the entire Middle East. Enemies and Allies by Joel Rosenberg includes insights and analysis from the author's conversations with some of the most controversial leaders in the world. We'll send you a hardcover copy of Enemies and Allies as thanks for your gift of $35 or more.

To give, visit connectwithskipp.com or call 800-922-1888. We'll be in John chapter 17 again today, so open your Bibles and let's join Skip Heidzik as he shares one person's unusual way of attending church for the very first time. True story. January 26, in Saxony, Germany, a 23-year-old driver was going way too fast in his car. And as he was speeding down the roadway and he didn't see the bend in the road, his car went off the road into the ditch, up a ravine, and launched 35 yards into the air and landed in the second story of a church building. A freak accident. You see, attending church for the wrong reasons isn't always great to do. True story.

Never happened before. This is probably the closest this guy's come to church in a long time. Now, there were three churches in a small Midwestern town. One was a Presbyterian church, the other was a Methodist church, and the other was a Baptist church. And the whole town had a problem, including these church buildings, and that was an infestation of squirrels that year.

So the church leadership of all three organizations decided to get together to find out what we'd do with them. The Presbyterian leadership got together and felt that God predestined the squirrels to be there, so they were just going to live with them. The Methodists decided that they would treat the squirrels in a loving way with the spirit of Charles Wesley and humanely capture them and move them to a secure location at the edge of town and release them, which they did.

In three weeks they were all back. The Baptists, it seems, had the best idea. They voted the squirrels in as members of their church, baptized them, and they said they haven't seen them except for Christmas and Easter.

If you know anything about the background of those organizations, you'll appreciate that. It's clear that many people see church, and in particular church attendance, as optional and non-essential. Perhaps the problem is with the church itself, and I don't mean a particular church. I'm speaking of all of us in general, God's people.

Perhaps the problem is with the church itself. Perhaps we have forgotten or maybe never really were in touch with the whole purpose of our existence. Why do we exist?

What is our purpose? What is God's vision for the church? Or to put it in terms of our title this week and last week, what kind of church would Jesus attend?

It's easy to answer the question simply by reading the words of our Lord Himself, and John 17 is a great place for that because it's the longest recorded and most intimate communication of Jesus with the Father before He's about to be crucified. And in this prayer there are four characteristics that Jesus wants for His followers and thus wants for His church. Number one, it should be a place that radiates the glory of God. That's number one on the list.

We should be all about making Him famous and declaring His name, and it's all about Him. Number two, it should be a place that reveals God's truth, preaches His word, is unashamed of the gospel, teaches people the truth week by week. And number three and four are we going to cover this week, two more qualities. And both of these qualities really speak to how we interface with the outside world. One thing we must never do, we must never become so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. We have been accused of that throughout history, that the church is so heavenly minded they're no earthly good.

However, there is some dispute as to what it means to be earthly good, and we're going to discuss a little of that today. I heard about a man who was visiting New York City, and he walked by a store and he noticed a sign in the window that said Chinese laundry. He was on his way to dinner, and so he made a mental note.

It was okay, I got to remember this. Next day he shows up at that store with his laundry. He needs to get it washed. He walks into the store, plops it on the counter, and says to the clerk, I want it washed.

And the clerk says, you want it what? I want it washed, and I've always heard that Chinese laundries do the best work. And the man smiled and said, sir, this is not a Chinese laundry. This is a sign shop.

I'm going to let that sink in a little bit until you get that. But that was one of the signs of the many signs in the window that he saw, Chinese laundry. This is not a laundromat.

This is a sign shop. Well, I share that with you because I think churches can send out false signals about their purpose. That is, people come with soiled lives, and the cross is just a sign. It could be inside the church, could be outside the church.

We got the sign, but the people inside are not equipped to take soiled lives and disciple them and get them out of darkness into light. So let's look at the final two characteristics of the church Jesus would attend. Number one, or in the outline actually, number three is it's one that rescues the enemies of God. Now when I say enemies, I mean everybody who's not a believer. The Bible says is at enmity with God.

You know, you're either Jesus' friend or you're not. You're either for Him or against Him, and we should be about rescuing the enemies of God. Look at verse 14. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth.

Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And look at the 20th verse.

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. It's pretty clear then that Jesus was giving a commission to His followers of evangelism, to be sent out. In fact, the word to be sent is apostolo. We get the word apostle from it. It means to be sent out and go on a mission.

Even as I have come and gone on a mission, I'm sending them out on a mission. So He anticipates that the church, His followers, will go out and do evangelism and have success at their evangelism. That's what verse 20 is all about. Those who will believe in me through their word. Now for all of my hyper-Calvinist friends, I share verse 20 with you.

I want you to notice that God not only elects people, but He elects the means by which those people come to Him. And it is through the word or the testimony of His followers, whether that's one-on-one evangelism or the testimony is mass evangelism, God ordains that means by which they come. So, Jesus came to rescue people. I have been sent into the world. In verse 4, He says, I have finished the work that you have given me to do, and He will do that at the cross.

And then He went to heaven back, ascended. Now we are sent into the world, so here's the thrust. Jesus is all about rescuing people, and He uses His ambassadors, us, to do that.

Here's my mega point that I want to make. The church is not primarily a bless me club. The church is not primarily a entertain me club or pick me up club or help me club, though we should be blessed and helped and ministered to, no question.

It is not a place where primarily we should turn inward and really make it about ourselves except that we are prepared to do something out there, and that is rescue people. Somebody said, church is the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of non-members. Do you recall what our Lord said to His followers that instead of looking within, He says, lift up your eyes and look at the fields that they're white. It's a great statement. Look around, disciples.

Look around at your world in any generation at any time, and notice that the fields are already white for the harvest. And He continued, and he who reaps gathers fruit for eternal life. Now it can happen, and often does, that over time churches, organizations, will turn inward to themselves. Even though Jesus said, go into all the world, somehow we have learned to interpret that as Jesus saying, come ye to our churches. Instead of church, go ye to the world. And I do think that evangelism can take place in church at our meetings.

It often does, but that's only the beginning. We are to go. We are to be sent. In fact, one of the healthiest patterns, and I see it here so often, is the pattern of saved, serving, and sent. So many times I've watched people come forward, and I've watched them and led them in a prayer to receive Christ, and then after a period of time they get involved.

They start serving the body and serving one another, and then they decide they want to be sent out to the mission field or to start a church or lead a group, but I often see a very good and healthy pattern of saved, serving, and sent. I've been reading a book lately. I didn't bring it with me, but I want to share some of the thoughts. It's about the church, and every time I do a series I like to take a couple books that will inspire me afresh, and this is a book by a 90-some-year-old man named John Stott.

I've read a lot of his books over the years. He believes that historically the church has failed in precisely this point of rescuing the enemies of God or evangelism, and it's because historically, he says, we have suffered from a false identity. He said the church often becomes one of two things, either a religious club. It's a religious club. It's about our club. It's our country club. Our members come, and we enjoy the benefits of our club, and it's about our club, and what we do at our club, and do you like our clubhouse? It's a religious club. It's all about the private benefits of the members.

This is introverted Christianity, says Stott. The other false identity that can happen is it becomes a secular club. It's all about social service for the community. Well, the church exists not to worry about heaven or hell or eternity or the gospel, but we've got to help people in our community, in our town, so it essentially is Christianity without Christ. I believe both can be done, both a vertical relationship with God of worship and glorifying Him, while at the same time we can adequately, wonderfully serve our community. But this is vital. The primary way we can best serve our community is to give them the life-changing gospel message that will get them to heaven. Please understand that. If we give people food and band-aids and say nothing about how to get to heaven, then all we do is make them feel really good on their way to hell.

I don't know any other way to put that except baseline. So the primary way we can serve our community is to be a sufficient light so as to get them from this earth into heaven. It says John Stott, if all churches had been faithful to this, the world would long ago have been evangelized. How do we do that? Well, according to Jesus, I think there's three ways we do it. We do it by knowing something, we do it by growing in that something, and we do it by going out into the world. Knowing your position, growing in preparation, and going out into the world.

First of all, you've got to know who you are. If you don't know who you are and what you're up against, we'll never do anybody any good. So this is what we're to know. Look at verse 16. They, that would be us, His followers, in context, in context, His disciples, they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Verse 18, as you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

That's your position. You're in the world, but you are not of the world. Please understand what that means. What the Bible refers to as world cosmos doesn't mean the earth or necessarily people, but it refers to a system, a system. The world is a system of belief and activities that is hostile against God, and it is controlled by the devil. He is called the prince of this world.

He's called the god of this world. So it's the world system and ideology that is opposed to God and especially Christ. Jesus came here to rescue people. He came here to rescue people. And then He said, I'm sending them out in the world, though they're not of it, they don't fit into, they're separate from the ideology of this world, but I sent them out to do a task.

So why is it then that since we're in this world, but now that we're believers, we're not of its system any longer, why are we so occupied, or should I even say preoccupied, with the world values? Dwight Lyman Moody from Chicago a century ago said, the church reminded him of firemen straightening pictures on the wall of a burning house. What a picture that is, is it not? Fireman goes in, the house is burning, and one guy goes, you know, I don't think that picture looks quite right. I just move it. What are you doing?

The house is burning down. There's bigger fish to fry here. Moody said, the church can remind me of that. So we need to know our position. We're in it, we're not of it. Number two, we need to be growing.

We need to be growing in our preparation. That's verse 17, which we touched on last week. Sanctify them, or separate them, or make them holy by your truth. Your word is truth.

Okay, so here Jesus says, they're in the world, but not of the world. Okay, I remember something very vividly. It wasn't long after I prayed to receive Christ, back in 19, long time ago, that I felt like I didn't fit any longer. I was a fish out of water. I felt like when I went back to my old friends and my old digs and started hanging out again, I just thought, I am not in my element. This is not who I am anymore. I remember feeling that. It's because I'm in it, but I'm not of it.

But for me to be in it and survive well and make an impact well, I need some preparation. And that's verse 17. I get sanctified, made holy by God's truth, which is his word. So this is what we're like. We're like astronauts. Now you can't go to space just as you are.

It's not your element. You need a specialized suit, a pressurized suit, that gives you the elements of the earth to survive in a hostile environment. Or if you were to try to go under the water, you can't breathe water.

You need a special pressurized suit that gives you the surrounding elements of this environment for you to survive. And so it is as believers. This world is in our element.

The only way we're going to survive the pressure of this world and its system poised against God is to have sufficient pressure from within by the Holy Spirit working through the word of God, which is truth, which sanctifies us. That pressure, that realignment week by week, day by day is what prepares us for the next phase. So we need to know, we need to grow, and then we need to go.

That's the third part of this. We need to go. See, our knowing and our growing should always lead to going. And I'll tell you what, it's really bad news when it doesn't. It's really bad news when we know who we are and we start growing in our knowledge and become very theologically adept and we know the fine points of theology and we do nothing with that for the world. We become fat and sassy, spiritually speaking. We need to exercise.

We need to be going. That's the whole point of verse 18. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. I've discovered there's five responses the Christians have toward the world, and I think only one of them is the best response.

And it's the last one. One response the Christians have had to the world around them is to isolate, is to isolate. The world's bad, got to get away from the world, don't want anything to do with the world, I'll move away from it. That was the whole basis of the monastic movement, monasteries.

The only way we'll survive is for us to leave that and get away over here by ourselves. That's to isolate. Number two is to insulate, to insulate. It's also not a good strategy.

It's very similar to the first, but it's a little bit different. This is the belief that says, okay, the world is bad and I got to protect myself and protect my children and protect my family and remove them from certain institutions and remove us from certain things and just sit here in this little bastion of Christianity and point at all the bad things in the world. There's a third response people have had, and that is to vegetate. Vegetate. They become very apathetic, very apathetic.

They know truth, but they have no passion for lost people at all. You know, church should be more than just something we attend. It's something we should put into action. In short, church can be a noun, but it should also be a verb. Let's put what we learn at church into practice when we go to our job or school or when we go out for lunch or to the movies or when we go anywhere for any reason. And with that thought, we're going to have to wrap things up for today. But before we go, we want to let you know how you can get a copy of today's teaching, The Church Jesus Would Attend, Part 2. Just give us a call at 1-800-922-1888.

Each copy is available for just $4 plus shipping. And if today's lesson resonated with you and you'd like to share it with others, swing by our website at connectwithskipp.com. And would you like to help in sharing these teachings around the world? You can do so by giving financially. Just visit connectwithskipp.com and come back next time as we take one final look at what type of church Jesus would attend on our next broadcast of Connect with Skip, Weekend Edition, a presentation of Connection Communications. Connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.