The Church: More Than a Building

Hello all, my name is Jessie Dukes and I am a grateful daughter of the One true King. I have been afforded the pleasure and honor of being able to bring this article to If Only One to talk about the Church.

I want to first begin by telling you I am not a scholar. I have no degrees, nor have I obtained any “post-nominal letters” to follow my name. I am simply a sinner saved by grace, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. With that being said, I have walked 10 years now with the Lord and have spent many hours of study and prayer in the Word. I cannot tell you the amount of wisdom I have gleaned from listening and reading the works of great men such as John MacArthur, Paul Washer, Martin Luther, and the prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon. But the one whom I have learned the most has been my husband. He is my favorite Pastor. He’s also the hottest!

But like all sinners; I have a past. The testimony I carry is a life redeemed from childhood trauma, drug use, and years of poor choices. But God… brought me out of the darkness and the shadow of death and set my feet upon a rock (Psalm 40 and 107:14). Praise be to God!

The Condition of Man in the Eyes of a Holy God, the Mission of the Church, and Laity

Understanding the condition of my heart was a game changer for me. I remember when the Gospel clicked for me. It was made known to me that I was a sinner in need of a Savior and unable to redeem myself apart from Jesus. Paul tells us in Romans 7 that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. From the fall of creation to present day there is not one man among us who has sought God on his own accord. (Romans 3) It is the Spirit that draws us, and it is the accomplished work of Christ that has saved us. Jesus Himself thanked the Father for all those given to Him and also said not one would He lose.

If we are to be disciples and follow the commands of spreading the Gospel; it is of the utmost importance that we truly understand the only thing we have contributed to our salvation is our sin. Or as folks living in the holler would say…God's done it all!

So what is the mission of the church? I think a better place to start would be to the individual believer. If we don't get this part right then the church suffers. What is the chief end of man? It is a simple one… You ready for this?… it is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We are image bearers of God created to reflect the truth of God by sharing the Gospel. As image bearers, we are covering the face of the earth with the GLORY of GOD.

What does that literally look like in our day to day lives? Walking in communion with Christ, other believers, worshiping Him in spirit and truth, and crying out to a lost world that He has risen. As one body, we do this together. So the Laity consists of the sheep that are under the governorship of the pastors/elders. We are the hands and feet of Jesus who have been appointed to different tasks and gifts that are all used in unison to build up the body.

Who is the Church? The Body of Christ, Laity and Clergy in Partnership.

I think it is important to start by saying that not every church is a church. Jesus Himself said there are some places that are synagogues of Satan. Out of the Reformation came three strong ideals that were seen as characteristics of the true church:

1. Faithful preaching of the Word.

2. Right understanding and practices of sacraments - the Lord’s Supper and baptism.

3. The right practice of “church discipline”.

Are people living the way Jesus commanded them to? Are lives being transformed into the image of Christ? Another way to say it would be, are we confronting the sin among us? Are we loving people to Christ or unlovingly watching them walk their way to hell? We aren’t demanding perfection but the Lord commands our obedience to Him and His Word. And, in my experience, God has used the body, my kids, and my spouse to pour me out like a drink offering in order to sanctify my wretched soul. He has used all things, including my sin, to break me and make me whole. I am clay in the Hands of the Potter. Praise be to God for His unfathomable love for His people! God reveals Himself through His people. The Church is all those who believed by faith in Christ from the beginning to the end. Past, present, and future. The walls of denominations come down and we are One mind, One body, and One in Christ.

So together we work in unison with the clergy to spread the Gospel and hold together the sanctity of the Church. We are under the headship of Jesus Christ and all things come through Him and from Him. We are to serve together, pray together, take communion together, and we are to spread the good news to the world as we witness God build His Church. The role of the elders/pastor is not to entertain us nor is it their sole responsibility to fill the pews. If the only reading of Scripture you are hearing comes from church, then I would beg you to cry out to God and ask Him to open your eyes and give you a desire to know Him deeper.

Let me also remind you that the leaders have been placed in their positions by God but at the end of the day they are still men. Are you praying for them? Are you encouraging them? Are you being submissive to their authority as they lead, teach, and guide? Are you praying for their family? They will give an account to the Lord for every deed and word they have taught. That is a heavy load to carry. Are you helping to carry their crosses?

Let me remind you, Jesus did not suggest fellowship. He lived it and commanded it. You are to be active in the body and you are to be seeking and searching for God away from the church as well. The Gospel should never be a portion of your life; it is your life. It is the very foundation upon which you live and breathe. And if you are not doing that or maybe if church is just an afterthought for you, then my dear friend, something is wrong. I pray God grants you forgiveness and healing from your wounds. I pray that He opens your eyes so that you see the love and bond that is shared among the believers. I pray that you see the grace He has shown us by allowing us to join with other believers in worship, praise, prayer, healing, restoration, and most of all, love. There is no greater love in this world than the love one believer has for another. Afterall, we are a forever family and will spend eternity together. How precious is that?

What is the role of the Laity? The Call, The Command, The Commitment, and The Community.

Acts chapter 2 sums up the role of the body and how the church should function. We are to present ourselves as living sacrifices joined together in fellowship. We are called and commanded to go out into the world and be a light. We are commanded to love one another, pray for one another, and support one another. Were you aware that you have the ability to heal one another?

Love conquers all things. It covers a multitude of sins. We have in us the Spirit of God granted to us in grace. We are a family doing life together. We are to carry the burdens of our brothers and sisters. Rejoice when they rejoice and mourn when they mourn. One of the things I have taught my daughters is, see a need meet a need. Meaning, if you see something that needs to be done, do it. Don't wait around to be told or asked. Step up and help. We all work together to accomplish all things. No matter how big or small.

What is the purpose of the Church?

To be a tool of God’s grace and continue the work of Jesus.

So let's address now the purpose of the church. Matthew 5 tells us we are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. We are the bearers of God’s grace to a dying world. The main focus of the church is the Gospel. If the churches focus is on gifts, deliverance, or any other teaching other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then the church has failed. What is the Gospel message? The Gospel is not something you can live. The Gospel message is that Jesus stepped down from His throne in glory to be a suffering servant. He lived a perfect obedient life to God’s law. He was tempted in every way but without sin. He was persecuted, beaten, and crucified by the ones He came to save. Nailed to a cross where he took on the full wrath of God for the sins of the church. He was buried and was resurrected and now He sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for the saints. He has conquered death and freed us from all bondage and defeated the enemy. He has overcome that which we could not. He is our deliverance. It has never been nor will ever be, Jesus plus works.

We are the church.

In conclusion, our sole purpose in this life is to glorify God and enjoy Him. We are clay in the hands of the Potter, being molded and shaped day by day to look more like our Creator. We are shedding the old and putting on the new. We are like-minded people doing life together and walking out our sanctification together. We possess a shared truth, power, and purpose. We have a common cause. We serve a relational God who has built in us a desire for relationships. Without that, we are left to our own demise and to our own desires. Our life becomes a “me-centered” world.

Church is not a spectator event. Let me tell you like I tell my family, it's not all about you. When I die; I want the Gospel message written on my tombstone because it's all about Jesus. He is more important than anything in this life. Christianity is not an individual experience or a private one. It is communal. We die to ourselves every morning when our feet hit the floor and we obey the command of our Lord to share to all who will hear what is the joy and hope of our salvation, Jesus. I will close with this. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor who was imprisoned for years and separated from the flock of Christ during the Nazi war, said this about the church. “The physical presence of other Christians is a source of incomparable joy and strength to the believer, a physical sign of the gracious presence of the triune God. How inexhaustible are the riches that open up for those who by God’s will are privileged to live in the daily fellowship of life with other Christians. Let him who has such a privilege thank God on his knees and declare it is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in fellowship with other brothers and sisters.”