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I will build My Church Romans 12: 1 – 8, Matthew 16: 13 - 20 “Jesus said to them But who do you say that I am? Peter answered: “You are the messiah, the son of the living God.” Jesus chooses a very interesting location to ask Peter this profoundly foundational question Caesarea Philippi is about 25 miles north of the sea of Galilee and in this district were many temples and the sacred places of various religions. We know that in the area surrounding Caesarea Philippi, there were at least 14 temples to the Syrian gods of Baal. It was also the place where the ancient religion of Pan, the god of nature began. In fact Caesarea Philippi was once called Panias and to this day the place is known as Banias. Nearby was a cave of huge spiritual significance not least because it was the fountain or source of the River Jordan. That mighty river, so very heavily laden with religious symbolism in the Jewish faith . Here was where a great eye catching temple of white marble had been built to the godhead of Caesar by Herod the Great. It stood out as a landmark for all who passed by reminding them that the Romans believed their rulers were divine beings. So this then was a place of great religious significance and spiritual and cultural diversity. It was a place of many choices and it was against this background of choices that Jesus asks his disciples to choose: who do you say that I am? It is the same question that he asks of us today also and again he asks it of us against a background of choices. Jesus asks us this question against the cosmopolitan background of our own New Zealand society today, where there are so many cultures and religions and philosophical understandings on offer around us, he asks: “Who do you say that I am?” It is a deeply personal and challenging question and it is a question that all who are in Christ’s church must answer honestly, for it is on the answer to this faith question that Jesus has built his church. “You are the Christ, son of the living God.” Jesus looks Peter straight in the eye just as he looks each one of us in the eye and in the intensity of that gaze he asks us to take a leap of faith and to try and grasp who he really is. “You are the Christ, son of the living God.” This is the confession that fueled the passion Peter had for the ministry to which he had been called and this is also the confession that has fuelled all Christian ministry since. I don’t think as Peter looked into Jesus’ eyes that Jesus could have said “On this rock I will build my church” if Peter had said, “Lord I think that you are a very good man, you are a wise teacher or you are great moral thinker.” While all that is also true of Jesus, it is no rock on which to anchor the foundation of a church that is destined to last for all eternity. No “You are the Christ son of the living God” is the only confession that will adequately fuel the passion which enables those who follow Jesus to offer themselves and their gifts sacrificially for the greater good of God’s Kingdom. You see, to be effective in the world, the church needs to be a whole lot more than the gathering of a group of people who know about Jesus. It needs to be a body of individuals who have made it their business to actually know Jesus as the Christ, the son of the living God. It’s not enough for this knowledge to be second hand. Only a real personal faith based on the belief that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God will be able to spur us to do the job which the church has been called to do. And what is the church called to do? If not to answer compassionately the cry wherever it is heard: “I have a need.. A need to know God; a need to experience his forgiveness; a need to be accepted; a need to be loved; a need for someone to advocate for justice for me; a need to know the purpose of life; a need for support in the hardships I face; a need for healing.” These were the needs that Jesus responded to and these are the needs he is calling his church to respond to. We can only do this if the church a place where the individuals who gather in the name of Christ have a faith which recognizes Jesus to be the Christ (the saviour, the bringer of spiritual healing) , the son of the living God in their lives. It is only then that his Church will grow, flourish and be life giving and life enhancing in this community. Now here’s the thing. While a personal and individual confession of faith of each of the members of Christ’s church is the foundational rock on which his Church is built, its effectiveness in the world is based on the corporate efforts of the community that is formed around this statement of faith. What enables us to be effective in the disseminating Christ’s gospel of salvation, love and truth is our ability to work together as one body, re-membering Christ in the world. And that is best done when each believer contributes his or her God given gifts to this purpose. Paul talks about the need for this corporate approach in Romans chapter 12 where he encourages believers to offer their bodies, all of who they are, to the common good. The Spiritual gifts Paul lists fall into three categories: 1. The gifts expressed through speech These include the gift of evangelism, telling forth the gospel; the gift of teaching spiritual truths and the gift of being able to offer encouraging words to people as they walk their spiritual journey. The church lives by the word of God given to and disseminated in relevant language by believers who are gifted to do so. These gift are found in home groups, mentoring programmes, evangelistic programmes like Alpha, youth ministry, Sunday School teaching, bible in schools, preaching, intercessions, Bible reading and so forth. 2.The gifts that are expressed in Practical service. These are the gifts of love in action. These gifts of active witness include pastoral care, acts of mercy, gift giving. Paul encourages those who have these gifts to be generous with them. They are found in those who make generous financial donations; clean, fix and beautify the church; involve themselves in hospitality ministries; visit the sick and the lonely; make and distribute food to the needy ; support the music ministry; offer organizational and administrative help and so forth. 3. And thirdly the gifts expressed in leadership. This is the ministry of guiding, envisioning and taking responsibility for the spiritual welfare of the community as a whole. These gifts require sacrificial commitment and courage and Godly wisdom and discernment and the church lives by the inspired leadership of those who have been given these gifts. They are to be found in the elders, wardens and vestry, the clergy and pastors; home group leaders and in all those who take on roles of servant leadership. Each of us has some gift from God. They are different for each of us and the wonder of how God works is that each person’s gift is needed, no matter who they are, young or old, extravert or introvert, new to our faith or mature in our Christian walk. There is not one person sitting in these pews here today who does not have a gift that this faith community needs. I believe that each of you has been placed in this community by God for just such a time as this. But you know it’s not just your gifts that we need. It is you. We don’t just need a smattering of preachers, teachers, administrators and welcomers, we need you. There is a uniqueness that each person brings to this place that shapes and hones the gifts that God has bestowed on him or her that is needed. This was brought home to me in a very real way this week as I officiated at George Coughlan’s funeral. Here was a man who has been part of our faith community for many years. We could ask the question ‘what gifts did he bring to this community?’ and of course he brought many. But I believe the real question to be asked is not ‘what gifts did he bring?’ but ‘who was George?’ George was a man who took his faith in Jesus Christ as the son of God very seriously. In his war diaries, Gwen shared with me, is a postscript which is hand written: “Faith carried me through”. This faith made him always available to be used by God. Whenever he saw a need that he could meet he would endeavour to do just that.
Wherever we felt God was calling us to go as a church George would try and find a way to help us along that way and by doing that the gifts that God had given him were released, the gifts of encouragement; leadership and mercy. You may be wondering today What are the gifts that I bring to this faith community? What can I offer that will help this church be more effective in its mission and ministry? The answer lies in making yourself available and in paying attention to what you notice. When you notice a need and you feel a quickening in your spirit as you try to work out how to help, hold that thought and pray over it. You may find that through thinking on that need you discover how God desires to use you and he will equip you as he does so. And you know when God uses you he does so in such a satisfying way that it will make your heart sing. As he uses you to be a blessing, you will feel blessed also. So we see from the readings that the church stands on two supports: 1. The foundational rock that each of its believers has a personal relationship with Jesus as the Christ son of the living God, and 2. on the commitment of those believers to make themselves available to be used by God through the different gifts which he has gracefully given them , in mutual service and to the glory of His name. In those two supports lie the challenge for you and me as we endeavour to shine the light of Christ in this community. And all the people said: Amen. |
