HGWA: ‘The Local Church is the Hope of the World’
‘The Local Church is the Hope of the World’ (Autumn 2016)
God’s good gathered creation is scattered by sin
Peace means more than the absence of conflict.
It is contentment, fulfilment & security. - Ez 34:25-31 [1242 NLT]
- Harmony vs. Noise
- Separation is the norm for sinful people
Deut 6 v 4: He sets the rule
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
o EDEN: no strife, no shame - perfect order
‘We cannot live in harmony with God if we are not in harmony with each other.’
o The Fall: starts from unbelief (thoughts to action)
in that:
§ God is not good
§ His rule is there to ruin our fun
§ Humans know best; humans know better
* disobedience - * (over)exposure - * shame - * deception - desire to hide
(
(
division between the sexes: Adam: blames the woman, blames God
pains of childbirth/toil/discord Eve: blames the serpent
- banishment to Babel (11:9) - a tower to the heavens, to rule in God’s place
“Nothing will be impossible” - sin would step in without limit - = result of the fallen world
Apartheid (eg) - attempt to create harmony by creating separation between the races
(
> Multiculturalism: ‘living together but living separate lives’ [........]
- the Present World - place in which God kindly restrains evil
but to actually reverse evil & restore harmony
(
> curse on the serpent (Gen 3)
God’s good pattern & our bad problem
Good pattern: peace; restoring order
Bad problem: living as the antithesis of approaching the throne with confidence; staying away from church
From Gen 12 - A Return to blessing
Gathering (- assembly - church)
1. MOUNT SINAI,
God’s people gathered under God’s voice (Ex. 19; Deut. 4:12)
§ the peoples’ worship - inclu. living under God’s law (Deut. 4)
- 10 Commandments: instruction for harmony (a ‘pattern for peace’)
§ “hardening of hearts” (Hebrews) - Israel’s rebellion
§ At Sinai, people stood at a distance;
terrified / violent expression of power
2. JERUSALEM, from rule by Judges to Kings (2 Sam)
= the place under David, the Shepherd King
= God’s promise of the new King yet to come
Jesus : God’s presence
(Jn 1 & 2): his body, the Temple
§ Psalm 122: the people ‘knit together as a single unit’ (wholeness); justice & peace
(
> Isaiah declares Jerusalem as corrupt & inharmonious
(
> the new Jerusalem foreshadowed by the local churches (1 Cor 3)
Solomon - unfaithfulness; scattered again, divided into two kingdoms (N/S)
Hosea’s reflection on the Unfaithful Bride
: from idolatry (as foreseen in Deut.) -> a return to Babel in Babylon
2 Kings 23: God’s response to JUDAH, the people
The Prophets & Their Prophecies
- Jeremiah 23:36
(gathering of the remnants)
Gathered to Jesus
(1) JC
§ God’s promise - to keep on blessing us
§ Gal 3 v13-14: drawn in to be redeemed
§ Jesus as our substitute
§ fishermen & tax collectors
- good at gathering; chosen for ministry
§ the Crucifixion (words from the cross):
to gather people to himself
Luke 5: to gather & to divide
* those who do not want to be gathered will be scattered
* to be gathered to God we must be gathered to Jesus
BC + AC : only the death of Jesus brings harmony between man & God
- to recognise our sin pricks our pride; humbles us before God
“heart change” enabled by the Holy Spirit,
not change of habits but heart
.... renewal, Ez. 36
(2) HS
§ Ministry: to gather; to re-make a broken world
§ Acts 2, Pentecost
- the reversal of Babel, a crowd drawn in;
brought back together through the Spirit
§ Gathered into fellowship with God
(Jn 15 - The Counsellor)
God’s gathering worldwide & gathered forever
§ The local churches [scattered gatherings]
§ People from the churches now scattered
as signposts to God’s grace,
not as an act of God’s judgement
§ Gathering into God’s plan (rescue; renew; restore)
§ “It’s a difficult job with the Devil, defeated by the Cross but still active in the world. Of course he wants to hinder God’s plan - makes it harder to talk about Jesus to our friends.”
God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense
§ BLUEPRINT for a re-made world
1) Gathered by Grace
(perfect relationship w/God; human harmony)
Heb. 12: 18 - 24 - this is not Mt. Sinai
2) Humbled under God’s grace
The gathering is inclusive: all are welcome - be not proud
that we are not somebodies, but (all are) nobodies
"The Cross, that great leveller of Humanity"
3) Connected by Grace
Connectivity to the wider Church; in partnership; working together
4) Secure in Grace (Hebrews)
5) Forgiven by Grace
Local church - able to stay together as an assembly thus able to forgive [???]
6) Suffer through Grace
Jn 18:36 - Jesus’ address to Pilate: overcoming evil with good
- Jesus’ kingdom not of this world
By grace, by grace, by grace .... shining out as signposts:
Jerusalem & Babylon - mixed together in the local church,
humility/forgiveness ... pride/bitterness
Notes from The Counterfeit Church (Roger Olson, 2015?)
- reverts to idolatry (the assembly has no relationship w/Christ)
- self-righteousness (the assembly has no repentance before Christ)
- homogeneous assembly: church is not a club; should be inclusive
- hostile assembly: no humility; refuse to accept they are sinful;
do not fear the Message, trying to prove oneself through acts
- No change, no life-changing realities
the heartchange
- this knowledge moving down in our hearts to affect transformation
Back to Eden, in the cool of the day (dwelling) ...
Eph. 1 - to bring unity under Jesus
Rev. 7:9 - the New Jerusalem
Rev. 21 - “the old order of things has passed away”
join;serve; persist -in our desire to be gathered in grace
God’s good gathered creation is scattered by sin
Peace means more than the absence of conflict.
It is contentment, fulfilment & security. - Ez 34:25-31 [1242 NLT]
- Harmony vs. Noise
- Separation is the norm for sinful people
Deut 6 v 4: He sets the rule
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
o EDEN: no strife, no shame - perfect order
‘We cannot live in harmony with God if we are not in harmony with each other.’
o The Fall: starts from unbelief (thoughts to action)
in that:
§ God is not good
§ His rule is there to ruin our fun
§ Humans know best; humans know better
* disobedience - * (over)exposure - * shame - * deception - desire to hide
(
(
division between the sexes: Adam: blames the woman, blames God
pains of childbirth/toil/discord Eve: blames the serpent
- banishment to Babel (11:9) - a tower to the heavens, to rule in God’s place
“Nothing will be impossible” - sin would step in without limit - = result of the fallen world
Apartheid (eg) - attempt to create harmony by creating separation between the races
(
> Multiculturalism: ‘living together but living separate lives’ [........]
- the Present World - place in which God kindly restrains evil
but to actually reverse evil & restore harmony
(
> curse on the serpent (Gen 3)
God’s good pattern & our bad problem
Good pattern: peace; restoring order
Bad problem: living as the antithesis of approaching the throne with confidence; staying away from church
From Gen 12 - A Return to blessing
Gathering (- assembly - church)
1. MOUNT SINAI,
God’s people gathered under God’s voice (Ex. 19; Deut. 4:12)
§ the peoples’ worship - inclu. living under God’s law (Deut. 4)
- 10 Commandments: instruction for harmony (a ‘pattern for peace’)
§ “hardening of hearts” (Hebrews) - Israel’s rebellion
§ At Sinai, people stood at a distance;
terrified / violent expression of power
2. JERUSALEM, from rule by Judges to Kings (2 Sam)
= the place under David, the Shepherd King
= God’s promise of the new King yet to come
Jesus : God’s presence
(Jn 1 & 2): his body, the Temple
§ Psalm 122: the people ‘knit together as a single unit’ (wholeness); justice & peace
(
> Isaiah declares Jerusalem as corrupt & inharmonious
(
> the new Jerusalem foreshadowed by the local churches (1 Cor 3)
Solomon - unfaithfulness; scattered again, divided into two kingdoms (N/S)
Hosea’s reflection on the Unfaithful Bride
: from idolatry (as foreseen in Deut.) -> a return to Babel in Babylon
2 Kings 23: God’s response to JUDAH, the people
The Prophets & Their Prophecies
- Jeremiah 23:36
(gathering of the remnants)
Gathered to Jesus
(1) JC
§ God’s promise - to keep on blessing us
§ Gal 3 v13-14: drawn in to be redeemed
§ Jesus as our substitute
§ fishermen & tax collectors
- good at gathering; chosen for ministry
§ the Crucifixion (words from the cross):
to gather people to himself
Luke 5: to gather & to divide
* those who do not want to be gathered will be scattered
* to be gathered to God we must be gathered to Jesus
BC + AC : only the death of Jesus brings harmony between man & God
- to recognise our sin pricks our pride; humbles us before God
“heart change” enabled by the Holy Spirit,
not change of habits but heart
.... renewal, Ez. 36
(2) HS
§ Ministry: to gather; to re-make a broken world
§ Acts 2, Pentecost
- the reversal of Babel, a crowd drawn in;
brought back together through the Spirit
§ Gathered into fellowship with God
(Jn 15 - The Counsellor)
God’s gathering worldwide & gathered forever
§ The local churches [scattered gatherings]
§ People from the churches now scattered
as signposts to God’s grace,
not as an act of God’s judgement
§ Gathering into God’s plan (rescue; renew; restore)
§ “It’s a difficult job with the Devil, defeated by the Cross but still active in the world. Of course he wants to hinder God’s plan - makes it harder to talk about Jesus to our friends.”
God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense
§ BLUEPRINT for a re-made world
1) Gathered by Grace
(perfect relationship w/God; human harmony)
Heb. 12: 18 - 24 - this is not Mt. Sinai
2) Humbled under God’s grace
The gathering is inclusive: all are welcome - be not proud
that we are not somebodies, but (all are) nobodies
"The Cross, that great leveller of Humanity"
3) Connected by Grace
Connectivity to the wider Church; in partnership; working together
4) Secure in Grace (Hebrews)
5) Forgiven by Grace
Local church - able to stay together as an assembly thus able to forgive [???]
6) Suffer through Grace
Jn 18:36 - Jesus’ address to Pilate: overcoming evil with good
- Jesus’ kingdom not of this world
By grace, by grace, by grace .... shining out as signposts:
Jerusalem & Babylon - mixed together in the local church,
humility/forgiveness ... pride/bitterness
Notes from The Counterfeit Church (Roger Olson, 2015?)
- reverts to idolatry (the assembly has no relationship w/Christ)
- self-righteousness (the assembly has no repentance before Christ)
- homogeneous assembly: church is not a club; should be inclusive
- hostile assembly: no humility; refuse to accept they are sinful;
do not fear the Message, trying to prove oneself through acts
- No change, no life-changing realities
the heartchange
- this knowledge moving down in our hearts to affect transformation
Back to Eden, in the cool of the day (dwelling) ...
Eph. 1 - to bring unity under Jesus
Rev. 7:9 - the New Jerusalem
Rev. 21 - “the old order of things has passed away”
join;serve; persist -in our desire to be gathered in grace