Church Is… 

By Matt Watson

It is no longer an alarmist position to say that we as Christians have lost the battle for the public square. Not only is that behind enemy lines, but various ideas we have always taken for granted as a society are now questioned and sometimes attacked by that very society. For a long time, some Christians have fought a public battle in the realms of government and policy-making. But, as Dr. Russel Moore says, Christians have gone from being a moral majority to being a prophetic minority.

As the world questions who and what it is, we need to have confidence in who and what we are. Not so that we can be abrasive and hostile, for we are exhorted by Jesus through Paul, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Rom 12:18). Rather, knowing that Satan hates you and the church, and is attacking it through societal and ethical shifts, we need to know where we stand and why, in Christ.

Therefore, we will be starting a new blog series called Church Is… to help us understand who we are as a body belonging to Christ. In it, we will explore a biblical theology of the church, why we still need it, what the church does or what its purpose is, how and why we serve in the church, how do we connect within the local church as a community, and ultimately how do we love the church as Christ does. Knowing this will help us engage a culture hostile to Jesus and a world that hates the things we love.

Again, this isn’t a new thing to be considered on the “wrong side of history.” Those who love God have been on the wrong side of history many times before now. Thankfully, God has given us his Word to guide us through these times. His final and ultimate Word is Jesus, who “is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8). Additionally, as orthodox Christians (that is, Bible-believing and theologically consistent with the Bible), we trust Scripture when it says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). So when we find ourselves challenged, let us turn to God in his Word for encouragement.

Peter’s first letter is written to “those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood” (1 Pet 1:1-2). This letter is to the scattered church living in a hostile empire and exiled across it in the various regions listed. Notice the three clauses that follow: (1) that this dispersion and exile was “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father”, (2) that they are being sanctified by the Spirit, and (3) that the reason for this sanctification through dispersion is “for obedience to Jesus Christ.”

First, where we are in history is not really a surprise when you look back and trace the change and flow of philosophy through history. But more than that, it has never been a surprise to God. It was not a surprise when the nations raged against Israel, it was not a surprise when Jesus was betrayed and crucified, and it was not a surprise when Rome launched a state-sponsored torture and execution pogrom against Christians in the first century till the fourth. Likewise, where the church is at today is not a surprise to our Father.

Second, trials, persecution, and various troubles big and small are inconvenient at the least and deadly at the worst. However, for the church in Christ, they can never be truly overwhelmed or conquered by these troubles. Though hostilities are meant for evil, God intends for good, and he makes us look more like Jesus by them. That is what sanctification is, the process by which we become set apart from the world, or made holy, as Jesus is holy. We can’t do this on our own; it requires the Holy Spirit who grants us repentance from sin and uses evil times and situations to make men and women of God.

Lastly, as a result of being made holy, we obey Jesus and are cleansed by his blood. We have been saved by the shedding of his blood (justification), he is saving us through the maturing work of the Holy Spirit (sanctification), and one day we will be saved and whole as we look like him (glorification). Therefore, suffering isn’t wasted; it’s the fertilizer of disciples.

The church will experience various levels of suffering depending on where it is located. Honestly, we haven’t seen anything like the persecution of our brothers and sisters in countries openly hostile to Christianity. The west, however, will probably be more subtle in its opposition, at least for a little while. Jesus told his disciples they would suffer for his name. He also told them, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) and also, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18). We have no reason to fear the world, but we have every reason to make disciples in the world.

So church, let us seek what it means to worship God as the body of Christ and live well as the church in this world. We represent Christ to everyone around us, so let us know what it means to be his people. I invite you to join me in studying the Word in this series and worship as the church at The Well, Sunday evenings at 4 pm, gathering at 2930 MacArthur View, San Antonio, TX 78217.