2002.10.6. Why?(3) - Rev. Young Jin Cho

Why Do We Need Church?

Acts 2:42-47

A retired pastor that I know wrote a two-volume book on the history of Christian sin. He asserted that all kinds of sins have been committed in the name of Christianity. I do not agree with him completely, but it gave me the opportunity to see a different aspect of Christianity. But really, I think that the title of the book should be The Sinful History of the Church, rather than The Sinful History of Christianity.

The shameful events that the pastor points out are sins committed by churches in the name of Christianity, rather than sins of Christianity. The book contained shameful stories about the Crusades, the tyranny of Popes, witch hunts, and the mission policies associated with colonialism in South America.

Today, church often becomes a target for criticism in Korean-American community because of the frequent separation and selfish individualism of the church, ugly activities away from Christ. Even in Korea, they hear criticism that Christianity lost the power of self-cleansing from the society.

Brothers and sisters, while others criticize churches about their role in society, is church needed? Why does the church exist? Do we need church in our lives?

I

The first question we should ask is about the grounds for the existence of a church. What do you think about church? How did church begin? Is it a simple organization of people? Or does the existence of church involve God's plan and His will?

I would answer that a church is not a simple gathering of people, not a man-made organization. The church was founded on God's providence and his plan, and it flourished under his care. According to Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say I am?" "You are the Christ," Peter answered, "the son of the living God." Jesus praised Peter and told him, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gate of Hades will not overcome it."

The tradition of the Protestant's faith originated with the confession of Peter, that Jesus is Christ, and he is the son of the living God. The church was founded on this confession. Jesus Christ built the church. The birth of the church was his will and providence. The church is not a simple gathering of people. It is not a building, nor an organization. It stands for the people of God, called from the world.

Jesus Christ is the owner of the church, and the Holy Spirit leads the church. We confess that the head of a church is Jesus Christ, and we are the branches ruled by the head. The Acts testify that Jesus is the master of the church.

Many Biblical scholars tell us that Acts is the work of the Holy Spirit as well as the Apostles. Jesus Christ led the Church by the Holy Spirit in order to overcome important crises. The Holy Spirit allowed disciples to be scattered due to persecutions. He was involved in the baptism of Cornelius as a first pagan. And he guided the Apostle Paul to Europe to preach the Gospel.

In church history we find that church was built by Christ's will and plan, and that the church community is led by the Holy Spirit. Through 2000 years of church history, we find the renewal movement. The church has kept itself renewed through continual renewal movements. It has kept itself balanced the warm heart and the cold reason, between this life on earth, and life after death, between individual salvation and the responsibility for history. 2000 years of church history testifies to "His story" that Christ has led the church.

The fact that church was founded by God's will and plan rather than a simple gathering of people provides the question about the necessity of church with an important answer. Even though church may be corrupted, the church will survive as long as God doesn't give up on church. In spite of criticism, the church must exist because of God's plan and will. As long as God does not abandon church, it is a leap in argument that church is not needed because it has negative aspects. The important issue is whether the church should be renovated.

II

Why should church exist? What does church exist for? The Bible says that church is the body of Christ. Rev. Adam Hamilton described the church as the continuing incarnation of Jesus in the world. I think this is the proper understanding.

God revealed his will and love toward us through Jesus Christ. He didn't show his love only in words. He showed his abundant grace through Jesus, who lived on the earth as the Son of God. Likewise, church is the incarnated place where we show God's love and will. As his body showed the reality, church exists as a place to show Jesus Christ.

Today's scripture shows the beautiful aspects of church. This early church reveals Jesus Christ. It shows the power and works of Christ in the form of the Holy Spirit. We can find the nature of Jesus Christ and his love in the church community. I'd like to emphasize a few points about the real image of church as the body of Christ.

First, church was the community to renew people in the Gospel of Christ. Church was a place to renew lives through the repentance.... to the Gospel. When they heard the sermon from Peter, they were moved, and they repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus as he did on earth.

Why should church exist? Because it must revive lives and nurture them. The church should keep pursuing this mission to revive lives. Who else can take over the mission of new life God favors? Jesus wants the church to do his works continuously. Therefore church is needed to revive lives.

Second, the church is the community of gathering to worship. According to today's scripture, they devoted themselves to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God. I assume that they remembered Jesus while they had dinner together. They gathered to pray and praise God and listen to the teachings of the Apostles.

Church is the community of worship. Through worship service we gather in His gospel and praise Him. We remember his death and resurrection and thank him through the Holy Communion. We can experience new meaning with Jesus through worship service in the community.

I happened to read an article the other day.

On Sunday morning, a family gathers in front of a computer.
"Let's do worship service," the husband says.
He turns on the computer and goes to the website of a church. He downloads the sermon and listens attentively.
After the sermon is over, the family sings hymns together.
His daughter is dozing off. They go into the fellowship hall and have a short fellowship. "Honey," the wife says, "There are a lot of prayer requests on this website. What kind of request should we submit?"
After reviewing the news, the husband goes back to the church home page. He finds that he forgets offering, and clicks to send an offering online. And they finish a worship service.

In the internet age, how does God accept this kind of service? Is it a worship service in spirit and sincerity?

Third, Church is the place that shows the love of Jesus who died on the cross. Therefore church is needed. In today's scripture we can find the concrete love of the early church in sharing their possessions. They overcome the strong desire of possessions. Acts 2:44 and subsequent verses say that they had everything in common and sold their possessions and goods. The love of Christ is not a theory or concept. It was the deed and life. The early church showed the love of Jesus and shared his possessions among them.

Why is church needed? Church is needed to share love. We live in a loveless age. Many people are hungry for love. Hymn #373 depicts this lamentation:

Do you know the world is dying for a little bit of love?
Everywhere we hear the sighing for a little bit of love.
For the love that rights a wrong, fills the heart with hope and song.
They have waited oh so long, for a little bit of love.
For a little bit of love, for a little bit of love.
They have waited oh so long for a little bit of love.
While the souls of men are dying, for a little bit of love.
While the children, too, are crying, for a little bit of love.

Thus we need church. we need a community that shares and serves and loves. The church is God's solution to the cold world. Let's pay attention to the following verse:

Stand no longer idly by, you can help them if you try.
Go then saying, "Here I am," with a little bit of love.
With a little bit of love, with a little bit of love.
Go then saying, "Here I am," with a little bit of love.

III

Why is church needed? It is needed in order to save lives in God's will and to worship God with saved souls and to share love. Church is the tool of God's salvation of the world. It is the hands and feet of this generation. Therefore, church is needed to show Jesus.

Our unfinished homework is to make church authentic in this age and to remake church in the image of Jesus Christ. Frankly speaking, it is hasty to think that church is not needed, as church becomes a target of criticism. Church on this earth can not be perfect because it is a community of imperfect people. Therefore, it is important that church is renewed continuously rather than denying that the need of it. During 2000 years of church history, the church has done a lot more beautiful things than ugly things. Recovering the true image by continuous renewing is very important.

Last September I faced an important challenge from the Church of the Savior in Washington DC and the Willow Creek Church in Chicago. One is a small church, the other very large. Both of them harvested abundant crop by seeking an authentic church. I realized that when a church seeks a sincere and authentic community, church can influence this world. Every church is incomplete, but church is still hope and tomorrow on this earth.

One important issue we need to overcome to have an authentic church is consumer mentality. We are only interested in filling our need through church rather than being interested in devotion to building the right church. Surely meeting the needs of church members is important.

However, when we focus on a self-centered mentality, we can't enjoy the growth through devotion. Even though church should fill our need, at the same time, we should build the Lord's church as the body of Christ to satisfy many other people. Overcoming this consumer mentality is the first step in renewing the church.

I would like to introduce an interesting story about a female elder at East Gate Church in Seoul. She served as a church treasurer for many years. When the Gangnam district south of the Han River was being developed, her children tried to persuade her to move there. But she didn't move there until many years later, because she wanted to live near the church in order to serve it better. When her children complained about the possible loss in real estate value because she refused to move right away, she explained to them, "You don't know the value of the devotion and grace I received because I lived close to the church. That is of infinite value.

Our Lord built church to revive lives and worship together and to share love. If church as a body of Jesus Christ renews itself continuously, it can enlighten this generation and become an instrument of God, which renews history. Church should exist because of this mission and to meet his expectation. Church is needed to help many wondering lives in pain. Church should exist until our Lord returns.