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’m not a history buff, at all. But as I was learning about change in the church, it took me back to the very beginning. When Jesus stepped on the scene. If history isn't your thing (raised hand here), stick with me, I promise it’s worth it.
Everything changed when Jesus entered the picture. Friends, he was a rebel. He went against status quo. He challenged the Pharisees - the leaders of the Jewish church at that time - constantly. They were so intimidated by him and his questions, that they put him on a cross. For over 2000 years church has been in constant change. Today let’s focus on just a couple of areas where Jesus wrecked the church.
The Temple. Old Testament books are written about the building of the temple. It was located in Jerusalem. People traveled miles and miles during certain times of the year to visit the temple, to worship, to sacrifice. All things church happened right there in the temple. In Mark 13, Jesus tells the disciples that the temple will become desolate, nothing more than a pile of stones. I’m certain the disciples were like, “Heyyyyyy Jesus, listen man, we have put up with some pretty crazy things from you, but don’t you realize the temple is THE CENTER of our religion? That’s where it all happens!” The temple no longer held it’s value as the hub of all communication with God.
Go to the world. Another crazy thing Jesus asked his disciples to do was go to the ends of the earth proclaiming His name (see the Great Commission, Matthew 28). Before Jesus, the Jewish faith was, well mainly for the Jews. In the Old Testament, we even see where God commanded His people to not marry anyone outside the Israelite community. There were solid reasons for this, which we don’t have time to dive into, but know that Jesus was now wrecking this theology. Jesus wasn’t just for Jews. In fact, He was all in for the Gentiles, so far as pulling a blanket over the Jewish people’s eyes to give us Gentiles (I’d venture to say most of you reading this are in fact, Gentiles) a chance to come to Him. Thank You Jesus!
Church Planting. As I stated earlier, the temple was the center of the Jewish faith. You came to the temple. You went to church, the church didn’t come to you. And the leaders of the Jewish faith? Men who were educated and trained in all the Jewish things. Jesus shifted this again, when He told us to go to the ends of the earth. We are to take the Church to the people. To plant churches and to raise up leaders to pastor them. For the first time, the Church was going out and becoming a steadfast presence in communities.
The Holy Spirit. Guess who else had a brand-new role? The Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, we see the Holy Spirit landing on a person for a specific time and a specific role (King Saul & King David would be a couple of examples). In Psalm 51:11, we see King David begging God not to remove His Spirit from him when he landed in a mess of sin. After Jesus’ ascension, the believers waited for this Helper that Jesus said would come. And come He did! Now we get the privilege of the Holy Spirit living in all believers. Totally new after Jesus, total game changer.
I share these examples with you to know that church has never more radically changed than when Jesus, the Author & Perfecter of our faith, stepped on the scene. I dare say that changes like seeing the temple, the place where all your church was done, destroyed and the ushering in of the Holy Spirit are far more radical than the changes our churches divide over these days. Things like a wall color change, what the pastor wears, or a new style of worship. Would I have had what it took to follow Jesus when He lived on this earth? If we can’t handle our pastor not preaching from a traditional pulpit, could we handle walking into a Gentile community and sharing our newfound faith? Oh that God would increase my faith!
Application Questions:
’m not a history buff, at all. But as I was learning about change in the church, it took me back to the very beginning. When Jesus stepped on the scene. If history isn't your thing (raised hand here), stick with me, I promise it’s worth it.
Everything changed when Jesus entered the picture. Friends, he was a rebel. He went against status quo. He challenged the Pharisees - the leaders of the Jewish church at that time - constantly. They were so intimidated by him and his questions, that they put him on a cross. For over 2000 years church has been in constant change. Today let’s focus on just a couple of areas where Jesus wrecked the church.
The Temple. Old Testament books are written about the building of the temple. It was located in Jerusalem. People traveled miles and miles during certain times of the year to visit the temple, to worship, to sacrifice. All things church happened right there in the temple. In Mark 13, Jesus tells the disciples that the temple will become desolate, nothing more than a pile of stones. I’m certain the disciples were like, “Heyyyyyy Jesus, listen man, we have put up with some pretty crazy things from you, but don’t you realize the temple is THE CENTER of our religion? That’s where it all happens!” The temple no longer held it’s value as the hub of all communication with God.
Go to the world. Another crazy thing Jesus asked his disciples to do was go to the ends of the earth proclaiming His name (see the Great Commission, Matthew 28). Before Jesus, the Jewish faith was, well mainly for the Jews. In the Old Testament, we even see where God commanded His people to not marry anyone outside the Israelite community. There were solid reasons for this, which we don’t have time to dive into, but know that Jesus was now wrecking this theology. Jesus wasn’t just for Jews. In fact, He was all in for the Gentiles, so far as pulling a blanket over the Jewish people’s eyes to give us Gentiles (I’d venture to say most of you reading this are in fact, Gentiles) a chance to come to Him. Thank You Jesus!
Church Planting. As I stated earlier, the temple was the center of the Jewish faith. You came to the temple. You went to church, the church didn’t come to you. And the leaders of the Jewish faith? Men who were educated and trained in all the Jewish things. Jesus shifted this again, when He told us to go to the ends of the earth. We are to take the Church to the people. To plant churches and to raise up leaders to pastor them. For the first time, the Church was going out and becoming a steadfast presence in communities.
The Holy Spirit. Guess who else had a brand-new role? The Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, we see the Holy Spirit landing on a person for a specific time and a specific role (King Saul & King David would be a couple of examples). In Psalm 51:11, we see King David begging God not to remove His Spirit from him when he landed in a mess of sin. After Jesus’ ascension, the believers waited for this Helper that Jesus said would come. And come He did! Now we get the privilege of the Holy Spirit living in all believers. Totally new after Jesus, total game changer.
I share these examples with you to know that church has never more radically changed than when Jesus, the Author & Perfecter of our faith, stepped on the scene. I dare say that changes like seeing the temple, the place where all your church was done, destroyed and the ushering in of the Holy Spirit are far more radical than the changes our churches divide over these days. Things like a wall color change, what the pastor wears, or a new style of worship. Would I have had what it took to follow Jesus when He lived on this earth? If we can’t handle our pastor not preaching from a traditional pulpit, could we handle walking into a Gentile community and sharing our newfound faith? Oh that God would increase my faith!
Application Questions:
- How does thinking about the changes that Jesus brought to the church change your mindset about change in your church?
- Search your heart, prayerfully consider what it took for the believers in Jesus’ day to follow Him, to carry out the things He was asking them to do - do you have that kind of faith? Could you have handled it?
- When you hear negative comments from others at church about seemingly menial changes, (a few examples - decor changes, removal of outdated programs, what songs were sung, what instruments were played…) what steps can you take to help those people turn the negative comments around?
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