Good morning, Friends! Thank you all for coming here today.
I actually planned to give today’s message last week. But if you were here last week, you know that a lot of people spoke during open worship! So many people spoke that I decided on the spot to hold off on what I planned to say, and put it off a week. So, here we are.
What I want to say last week is, it takes more than bricks and shingles to build a church. It takes a whole lot of different things, and we need all of them.
Last week, I read a long Scripture from a letter Paul wrote to one of the tiny churches he started, the one in Ephesus. Today, I want to read you a different Scripture. It’s just as good, and maybe better than what we had last week. It’s a few verses, and it ends with an early Christian hymn. So, here we go:
Stop being hateful! Quit trying to fool people, and start being sincere. Don’t be jealous or say cruel things about others.
Be like newborn babies who are thirsty for the pure spiritual milk that will help you grow and be saved. You have already found out how good the Lord really is.
Come to Jesus Christ. He is the living stone people have rejected, but which God has chosen and highly honored.
Now YOU are living stones being used to build a spiritual house.
You are God’s chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things he has done.
The Scriptures say,
“Once you were nobody.
Now you are God’s people.
At one time no one
had mercy on you.
Now God has treated you
with kindness.” [quoting from Hosea 2:23, Exodus 19:6]Dear friends, you are foreigners and strangers on this earth. So I beg you not to surrender to those desires that fight against you.
Always let others see you behaving properly, even though they may still accuse you of doing wrong. Then on the day of judgment, they will honor God by telling the good things they saw you do.
God will bless you, even if others treat you unfairly for being loyal to him.
You don’t gain anything by being punished for some wrong you have done. But God will bless you, if you have to suffer for doing something good.
God chose you to suffer as you follow in the footsteps of Christ, who set an example by suffering for you.
[this final section is probably a beautiful early Christian hymn]
Christ did not sin
or ever tell a lie.
Although he was abused,
he never tried to get even. (quoting Isaiah 53:9)And when he suffered,
he made no threats.
Instead, he had faith in God,
who judges fairly.
Christ carried the burden of our sins.
He was nailed to the cross,
so we would stop sinning and start living right.
By his cuts and bruises you are healed.
You had wandered away like sheep.
Now you have returned to the one
who is your shepherd
and protector.1 Peter chapter 2 (selected verses)
Like I said, a church isn’t just a building. Our first two meetinghouses here at Springfield were log cabins, built by the members of the meeting.
Back in Jesus’ day, and for many years after, the church simply met in whoever had the largest home. I’ve been to Quaker meetings in Africa, where church met outdoors, under the shade of a big tree.
If you ever went to camp, a church can meet around a campfire, without a piano or hymnals.
A church is really in the hearts and minds of its people. So today, I want to go over with you, some of the things it takes to build a church.
And instead of me telling you, I’ve asked you to tell me. I’ve asked a bunch of you all, to tell me and tell everyone, what we really need to build a church.
[What follows is a series of ten readings given by people in the meeting.]
- Every church needs PEOPLE. Some churches have thousands of people. Some churches have only a few dozen, or even just two or three people who gather in Jesus’ name.
PEOPLE are what makes a church. Some churches have lots of children and young people. Some churches have lots of older people. Some churches are rich and prosperous. Some churches don’t have much money, but are rich in faith and love.
Every person who is here today MATTERS. You matter to God, because God loves you. We matter to each other, because every person in this church has something to share. As long as we are loving people, welcoming people, and praying for people, we ARE a church, no matter WHAT size we are. - Every Christian church is built on JESUS. We love and honor Jesus, in everything we do. We study Jesus’ words and what Jesus did. We try to follow Jesus’ example. When we don’t know what to do, we ask Jesus for help.
Jesus is our LORD, our friend and our savior. Jesus is our light, our daily bread, and our fountain of living water. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus is our shepherd, who comes looking for us when we’re lost.
When we live in Jesus, we are connected with him and each other. Without Jesus, we can do nothing. When we ask God for anything, we ask in Jesus’ name. We trust Jesus, and we know that we will see him face to face one day. - Every church needs lots of FAITH. Faith means believing that everything Jesus says and promises is true. Faith means trusting that God will always find a way. Faith is trusting that God’s promises will always come true.
Faith is like having a solid rock to stand on, when all around us are storms and quicksand. Faith is listening for God every day, whether God’s voice is a shout or a whisper. Faith is making up our minds to follow Jesus, and never turning back. Faith is getting up again whenever we fall, and trying again and again.
Jesus said that if we have faith, we can move mountains. Jesus said that if we have faith, even if we die, we will rise again. A church that has faith will never fail, and people who have faith will live forever. - Every church needs lots of HOPE. Hope is trusting God, even in the darkness. Hope means knowing that we have a FUTURE.
Hope isn’t just wishful thinking. It’s knowing in our heart that God has a plan for us, and that God’s plan is GOOD.
Some things we’ll see today, or tomorrow. Some things we have to wait for. But hope never gives up! Hope says that obstacles aren’t permanent, that failures aren’t forever. Hope says that mountains can move, that walls can fall down, that wrongs will be made right. Hope motivates us to step forward confidently into the future.
A church that is built on hope is joyful, confident and positive. - Every church needs to be built on LOVE. The Bible says that whoever loves, is born of God, knows God. Anyone who doesn’t love, doesn’t know God. Whoever says, “I love God” and hates a brother or sister, is lying. If we don’t love each other, who we see every day, we can’t love God, who is invisible Jesus loved us, and told us to love each other. A church where love is missing, is a church without Jesus.
Love is patient and kind. Love isn’t envious or boastful, arrogant or rude. Love doesn’t insist on getting its own way. Love isn’t irritable or resentful. It doesn’t rejoice at wrongdoing, but only rejoices in the truth. Love is creative! There are always more ways to love, than there are ways to hate and divide. Love never ends, and love casts out fear. Love brings a peace that is beyond our own understanding. Love God, and love each other – those are the only two commandments. Whoever does these, has done everything that needs to be done. - Every church needs to be built on PRAYER. Jesus prayed all the time! He prayed for God’s name to be holy, and he prayed for God’s kingdom to arrive. He prayed for God’s will to be done here on earth, not just in heaven. Jesus prayed for daily bread, and he prayed many times for healing. He prayed many times to thank God for blessings. He prayed peace and unity among his followers. He prayed for God to bless little children, and he prayed on the cross for God to forgive the people who hurt him.
If we pray in his name, Jesus said, we can ask for anything, and God will answer us. We can pray for mountains to move, for storms to be still, and for peace to come into our homes. If we follow Jesus, our church will always be a place of prayer. - Every church is built on FELLOWSHIP. We aren’t just alone. We belong to each other. The church is a fellowship of people who love each other, and who are trying to follow Jesus.
Whenever we sit down for a meal together, Jesus is also with us. Whenever we pray, even if only two or three people are here, Jesus is in our midst. When one person is weak, others may can lend their strength. When one person falls, someone else can help them to get back on their feet again. When one person is confused or upset, someone else can help them understand or feel better.
Fellowship means caring for each other. Fellowship is reaching out to people who are lonely, or who think they’re forgotten. If someone from the church reaches out to them, it can really help! Fellowship means welcoming people in Jesus’ name. Strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet! Fellowship isn’t always easy. Jesus told us to forgive each other, and to wash each other’s feet. - Every church needs to know the BIBLE. The Bible is a collection of more than 60 books, written at different times, about people who discovered God, made mistakes, and got straightened out again.
The Bible has prayers we still need to say today. It’s full of stories and wisdom, guidance and grace. The four books of the gospels are where we learn about Jesus’ life on earth, what he said and what he did. Some teachings in the Bible may seem old-fashioned or outdated. Even Jesus said that all the hundreds of laws and commandments could be summarized in just two: love God, and love your neighbor.
There are a lot of strange ideas in the world, and the Bible helps us to see which ideas are wrong and not be influenced by them. The Bible isn’t always easy to understand. It may not have all the answers, but it always asks the right questions. - Every church needs to REACH OUT BEYOND ITSELF. Whether it’s missions or community service, outreach or evangelism, every church needs to reach out past its own walls. Jesus told us to go into all the world and share the good news with the whole creation. What we have been given is too much to keep to ourselves.
Jesus told us to heal the sick and raise the dead. He told us to reach out to those who are unclean, and cast out spirits which don’t come from God. He told us to share what we have, to speak the truth, to go the extra mile, and to love even our enemies. He told us to feed the hungry and give a drink to the thirsty. He told us to clothe the naked and welcome strangers. He told us to visit the sick and lonely and those in prison.
When we do these things, Jesus said, we’re doing them in person for him. - Every church needs the presence of the HOLY SPIRIT. We all need to stop, and listen, and pay heed to the Spirit speaking within us. We need to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking through the words of the Bible.
When we don’t know how to pray, or when the words aren’t there, the Spirit knows what’s in our hearts and prays for us. Jesus said that if we forget anything, the Spirit will remind us of all the words he said. And when we’re in trouble, Jesus said, “Don’t worry, the Spirit will give you the right thing to say at that very moment.”
The Spirit sets our hearts and minds on fire. The Spirit begs for mercy, and softens hardened hearts. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Lies are the complete opposite of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit sets us on the right path, and sets us free from whatever binds us.
The Spirit gives us peace – not the kind of peace the world offers, at the point of a gun or a sword. The peace of the Spirit is different. It’s beyond our understanding, and outside of our control. When we are born of the Spirit, we are born again. And the Spirit is with us, wherever we go.
These are just some of the things that every church needs. It’s always a work in progress.
It’s not about the numbers. It’s about people. It’s not about our fear. It’s about faith.
It’s all about Jesus. Jesus is going to take us to new and different places.
We’re going to make mistakes now and then. Everyone does! But with faith, hope and love, our mistakes can be redeemed.
We always need to pray more, and listen more to the Holy Spirit. We always need to learn as much as we can from the people of the Bible.
We have a rich past. But we always need to reach out, in new and different ways. The world is different now, and old dogs can learn new tricks!
Take all these things home with you, and think about them, every day. We are the only church God has in this place. Let’s make it a great one, together.