Is Church Necessary? | 12 Lines | Pastor Derick Amsler

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

And somebody said, amen. Amen. Put your hand over your heart, let me pray for you. Thank you, God for another week to be reminded of your faithfulness over our life time. In this moment.

We ask that you would arrest our attention, get our emotions in alignment with you. We want to know you and we believe in knowing you. We will know ourselves in Jesus name. And everybody said amen. Grab your seat, grab your Bibles, go with me to the Book of Acts.

While you are turning there. I've waited till the end of this particular foundational, doctrinal, theological rooted series to advertise. Go ahead and pull out your phone. Go ahead and pull out your phone. You're gonna wanna take notes on this particular date.

This is a save the date, save the date right here. July 13th. That's next month. We're gonna have our first of many theology nights and I'm looking forward to this. The modern church at large is really good at loving Jesus with all of our emotions because we use heart language when it talks about our relationship with him.

So we're really good at loving Jesus with all of our emotions. But the Bible says to love God with all your heart and your mind, your soul and your strength. To love God with our mind means this. We don't have an emotional one dimensional faith. We have what scholars would call a thoughtful space.

In other words, there's reason and evidence and substance and rooted beliefs in what we believe. And so these theology nights are centered around two things, information and formation. Everybody say apologetics. Apologetics is the ability to understand, respond to and defend responses to life's toughest questions. What happens when we die?

Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people? Why did we need someone beyond this life to save us from our sins? Apologetics also gives us the ability to respond to some of the strongest and toughest oppositions towards Christianity. What's up with God in the Old Testament? Is he just mad?

Is he just telling everybody to smite people all the time? What's that all about? What does the Bible actually say about sexuality? Everybody's talking about these things. The church ought to lift its voice and talk about them too.

July 13th. If you're single and you know somebody single, who knows, maybe you can get married to this thing too. I don't know. Just trying to put it all together, all the advertisements. It's gonna be good July 13th.

We are in this series called the Creed. And what you've noticed is the apostles have been launching theological bombs regarding our faith. What we believe, the Resurrection, the Ascension, what did Jesus do in the period of his crucifixion and Easter? Things are about to take a turn for some people, for the worst. In order for me to get there, let me preface it with this.

Where's all my extroverted people at? Yeah, come on. You just extroverted. We knew who you were when you walked in little bubbly pants. We know.

We know who you were. How many of you are like me. And you are more of an introvert by nature. Come on. You're more of an introvert.

Half of y' all introverts. Anyone to raise your hand, you know? Anybody know who you are? You're just introverted. A lot of people are surprised to find out that by nature, I am an extreme introvert.

It has nothing to do with talking to people. Has everything to do with how your soul is replenished by yourself or with around people. Somebody asked me the other day, how bad is it? I said, well, we'll just say this. If hell has an orientation process, it begins with, stand up and tell us a little bit about yourself.

I hate it so much as an introvert. Let me just talk to all the introverts just for a second. Extroverts, go ahead and meet new friends. Okay, all the introverts in the house. Can you and I just agree upon this?

We know. We know what they're trying to tell us. They tell us all the time whenever the subject of people, friendships and relationships come up. And I just want to let them know, I'm not going to do it because it'd be rude. But you feel me on this.

Introverts, we know. We know we need people, but we know something the extroverts are still trying to figure out. People are the problem. I would like people more if it didn't involve people. It's like Brussels sprouts.

I know I need more of them. I just don't want to. It's my plate. I'll put on my plate what I want to. Okay, incubators.

People are the problem. Isn't it crazy to think about our very happiest memories? If we zoom out and look into the moment through the lens of time, people are part of the process. Somebody got us there. Somebody said something.

A parent, a spouse, a teacher, a coach, a child. Somebody was there in the moment with us. And at the same time, some of our Deepest wounds in life involves people.

Themes like betrayal, abandonment, rejection, criticism, offense, disappointment are wrapped around people. What creates a dilemma in many of our lives is that some of the same people who made our happiest moments possible are also in the category who hurt us the deepest. Anybody else thinking of a family member right now? A close friend? Anybody?

Just look up here. Just look at how many of you are sitting next to that category. Come on.

It creates a dilemma because while we know we need people, it almost feels like after we've been hurt enough and long enough, that withdrawal and isolation actually sounds like wisdom. We'll even put spiritual language around it. Oh, I just need healthy boundaries. And there's nothing wrong with healthy boundaries. The problem is when we withdraw and isolate to the point where now we are an island.

We are a solo Christian. We've been talking about some theological truths of the utmost importance throughout the Bible. We've talked about who God is, why Jesus had to die on the cross, the truth and the reality of the resurrection. We talked about his ascension, led to the session of his enthronement and judgment. Court is in session is the way we said it.

We've talked about the Holy Spirit, we talked about the virgin birth. And then suddenly the creed shifts lanes when almost like somebody changed the channel. We're talking about theological bombs. And then the creed says, I believe in the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins. Why would the apostles writing about the most important theological truths of what we must believe, move from the Trinity, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and start talking about church and people?

Because for many of us, if we were asked what is so important about our faith, we can get behind I believe in God, we can get behind I believe in Jesus. But here's what nobody says, but we often feel, or at least we've heard from non church people. I believe in God. I don't believe in church. I believe in God.

I love Jesus. I just don't do organized religion. After all, it's about a relationship, not about religion. I don't need church to be a Christian. And we've heard phrases like that so often that we almost mistake fact for something that is familiar.

But just because something is familiar doesn't make it factual. I love Jesus. I just don't do organized religion. I don't need a church to be a Christian. And it sounds like a truth that has become self evident.

But when you boil it down, how strange is that rationale when applied to any other avenue of life, right? I love professional sports. I just don't do organized teams.

I believe in health care. I just don't do doctors, nurses and hospitals. I mean, after all, true story. I went to a hospital the other day and there was a bunch of sick people in there. The hypocrisy of that establishment, a place known for healing and wellness.

People in there clearly in need of medical attention. The hypocrisy of places and organized establishments like that see the hypocrisy in its own argument. And I get it. Everybody has experienced hurt in church, by the way, pastors included. But the Bible never promises a perfect church because the church is for imperfect people in pursuit of a perfect God.

Clearly, we are in need of medical attention.

But the Bible also never imagines, suggestes, suggests. The Bible also never imagines or suggests or even alludes to the possibility of a Christianity in which Christians are disconnected from other Christians. Today, church is almost viewed as a holy huddle once a week for Jesus, Facebook friends, right? That if we follow Jesus like we follow a friend on Facebook, we just gather together once a week, almost like a bunch of people that are mid flight and so we come to a airport hangar and this is our particular gate and the other church has their gate and then we're just waiting around for for Spirit Airlines to come and take us to heaven. But when the Bible talks about the church, this is not something casual.

It's not a gathering of consumers, it's not a holy huddle and it's definitely not a spiritual clique. It is the bride of Christ in which the people of God who've been called out of darkness, saved by his amazing grace, once bound for the depth of hell, once left in our own depravity, have been rescued by a lifeguard, a savior, a deliverer named Jesus. And we gather together to worship, go understand his words, be transformed by the power ment of the Holy Spirit. We edify and encourage one another and then we go out and we change the world that is the church. And yet the New Testament never treats the church as a group of just casual gatherings once a week.

The Bible goes as far as to say what you're a part of right now. Is the bride of Christ that strong language for somebody to attach? Why would Jesus attach himself to an organization that has brought triggered broken memories of hurt and scandals and docu series and a offenses? Why would Jesus attach himself to an organization that in some sects have have given Christianity a black eye? By the way, the stories and those reports you hear are very.

Very minimal compared to what God is doing Globally. But why would Jesus attach himself and call his bride the church?

Jesus loves the church. Jesus gave his life for the church. Jesus is building the church. And Jesus made a promise about the church that not even the gates of hell itself can prevail against God's bride. In order for us to understand the importance of the shift in the creed, we have to understand the origin of the gathering.

Let's go back to the beginning. After the resurrection of Jesus, he spent a few weeks ministering to people far and wide, proving that he was in fact alive and well and in the flesh before he ascended into heaven. The Bible says that he gathered his disciples together and he told them to go back into Jerusalem and wait for a gift that he was going to send. And we talked about that last week. The gift was the Holy Spirit.

And he said this to that gathering. While you're waiting, wait. Be anticipating this reality. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be my witness.

What is a witness? A witness is somebody who gives testimony to something they experienced firsthand. God wants to do something in your life upon which you experience true transformation. And when you encounter that kind of reality, then you go out and share it as a testimony. Then he says, you're going to be my witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth, their cities, their region, their nations.

In other words, local, national, global. And so the disciples left that moment on the Mount of Olives. They went to the upper room, just like Jesus told them to. And there they waited and they prayed for the gift of the Holy Spirit to come. Acts, chapter two.

A sound like a mighty rushing wind fills the house. Tongues of fire rest upon each of their heads. The Holy Spirit is poured out. The city comes running far and wide to see what is going on amongst those who have gathered together. Peter then stands up and he preaches a message.

And the Bible says that 3,000 people accepted Jesus as their savior and were baptized that very day. Now, 3,000 people in one day, gathering together, responding to the proclamation of the transformation that is the salvation of Jesus himself. That's amazing. 3,000 people in one day. We would call that a miracle.

That's what we would call that. But the miracle is not just that a crowd showed up. A miracle? Is that what the crowd does next? The Bible says in chapter two, verse 42 of Acts, they.

Those same people who gathered and had an encounter with God, they devoted, that's a strong word, themselves, to the teaching of the apostles. What we're doing right now, the proclamation of the Word of God and the fellowship. There's another important word. They devoted themselves to the apostles teachings and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers. Everybody say devoted.

It means dependability, reliability, consistency. They worshiped together, ate together, shared together, and gave together. So watch this. Now, Jesus didn't die on the cross just to forgive our sins, although that was part of it. He died on the cross to create a people for himself.

Titus chapter two says he gave himself for us, to redeem us from all lawlessness, talking about us breaking the spiritual law, culture, sin, and to purify for himself. There it is, a people. Not individuals, but a people, a gathering, a coming together. Individuals who have had a real encounter with the grace and the forgiveness of God. Coming together.

The coming together is called the ecclesia. It's not a church word, it just means coming together. Later in history, we have taken the same coming together for a religious purpose or a faith community, and now we call it a church. But in the original context, people gathering together with one purpose, and that is to act as and be as and to be about the family of Jesus. In other words, the purpose of the church is not to come together and worship with a team and listen to somebody speak.

The purpose of the Church. Take out your phone. You'll want to take a picture of this. Here's the purpose of the Church. We are not individuals alone.

We are a people transformed by a risen Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit to live holy lives, called to represent Jesus to the world and to encourage and edify the saint until Jesus comes back. Which brings us back to the Creed. I believe in the Holy Catholic Church. Now, before you get nervous, words matter. So let's make sure we know the words that we're using.

When the creed says Holy Catholic Church, it doesn't mean Roman Catholic. It has nothing to do with popes, priests, or the Vatican or Rome. It was the word. In its original use, it simply meant universal. It simply meant no borders, broad, wide, universal.

So the word, what we're saying is I believe in the universal Church. What God is doing is bigger than me in my moment, in my particular location. When we say I believe in the Church, what we're saying is I belong to something bigger than me. I belong to the family of Christ. And though other people in other churches may attend other places, they're not the enemy.

Just because they belong to a different denomination, just because they speak in a different language, doesn't mean that they are less than, more than. It means that we are a part of the same unit, the same family of Christ. It takes all different types of churches to reach all different types of people, because Christ loves everybody. When we say, I believe in the holy, universal church, we're saying, I believe in something greater than my Christianity. That's why your faith is personal, but it's never private.

It belongs to you and God, but it also is shared with many other believers. Several years ago, my grandfather, who I was really close to, his health just started taking a sharp decline. And I knew that there wasn't anything I can do about his medical issues, his health issues. But I was afraid that the grave would rob everything that's in him. And so I was thinking, like, what kind of memories does he have from his childhood?

What kind of memories does he have about his parents and God, grandparents? What kind of lessons has he learned along the way? What kind of prayers has he prayed that I don't know anything about? And so I sat down and I recorded myself interviewing him, just asking him tons of questions, mostly just letting him talk. And what came from that short hour experience was just stories I never heard of, humor that I didn't even know we had prayers I never knew we prayed.

And a wisdom that I still think about today. The universal truth reminds US we have 2,000 years of spiritual grandparents. I wonder how much wisdom and depth and prayers and dreams and perspective are in this room alone that is caged simply because it hasn't found a place to land through the opportunity of relationships. I wonder if you've been stingy with the gold of your mind and the spirit of your soul because you haven't allotted enough time for other people to glean from where you've been so that we can skirt around some of the pain that you've absorbed. But if you would let us in on these moments, you can save us from pain and redeem your own through simple conversations.

I'm just wondering, how much more has God done that we could be the benefactors of? An encouraged, enlarged capacity of faith, joy, hope, love, perspective. A reminder that if God brought you through it, he'll bring me through it. And if God did this for me, then he can do it for you. How many times does pain win in the end because nobody's redeemed the lessons learned from its valley to declare?

The Lord is still my good shepherd, I shall not want. He leads me and he guides me, looks after me for his namesake. That's just a cute Bible story. It is until you live it. Let me tell you about what I've lived when we say that I belong to the church.

We're not saying shared parking lots.

When I say I belong to the church, we're not saying that we walk in the same entrance. When I say I belong to the church, what we're saying is I belong to you and you belong to me. So when you weep, I weep. When you rejoice, I'm excited because what God is doing in me is bigger than me. And what God is doing in you must flow through you like a conduit so as Holy Spirit can continue to multiply.

We've got 2,000 years of spiritual grandparents. The reason why this creed is important is because it reminds us though you are going through a fiery situation right now, our faith didn't start with you, so it's not going to end in this situation. For we are of the same faith. Where three Hebrew boys walked into a fiery furnace and they came out singing the hymns, we're reminded that when our back is up against a wall and it feels like all hell is barreling down on us and there's nowhere to we serve the same God in which the Israelites walk through parted waters.

When it feels like we're in a lion's den in our culture and nobody affirms our faith anymore and everybody celebrates counter scriptural truths, our faith was still in the face of Daniel and who would argue with modern day Sunday school? It was never Daniel in the lion's den, it was the lions in Daniel's den.

It's perspective. It's the universal truth. Our faith is not shallow. It's not mere emotional, it's intellectual. It's historic.

It's evidential. It's rooted in something. I believe and belong to the church. What a shame that we have limited the expression of spiritual formation down to modern day voices. As to say as to say, my Christianity is centered around my favorite songs we sing or I'm frustrated when they don't or Pastor made me feel good.

We had church today. Pastor stepped on my toes. I need to go find a different church.

What a shame. What a shame that we've reduced our Christianity down to just the voices of modern podcasts and celebrities. Nothing wrong with them. I glean from them. I love them.

But God's plan A is the church. God's plan A is eye to eye, face to face. You know somebody's name, they know yours and you're able to do this thing we called Shared Life Together. CS Lewis calls the action of only listening to your own perspective and being around people who are just like You CS Lewis calls it chronological snobbery. And it's where we become time snobs, where we assume that because something is newer, it must be truer.

It's where we. Where we think my favorite books, my favorite podcast, my favorite songs are more true than other people's personalities or academia, pedigree. No, no, no. The truth is, Christianity is bigger than our trends, our brands, our buildings, our books, our entertainments, because Christianity is bigger than us. It was founded at the crucifixion.

It was. It was founded at the resurrection. It was founded in Acts, chapter 2. When the people came to the cross, they came to the empty tomb. They received empowerment from the Holy Spirit, and then they went out intentionally to share their lives.

It's to say this, I gotta tell you, look what the Lord has done in my life. What's he doing in yours? Probably not very much. Well, let's talk about that. Let's explore that.

Our formation is forged in the fires of community. Why do I need the church? Because Jesus believed in the church.

For 2,000 years, Jesus has been keeping his promise. I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. A lot of times we think about Jesus building the church or we think about gates. Let's zoom in on the word church. I will build my gathering of people, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

So notice here it's the word church, not I will build individuals who will go through life trying to figure it out on their own. I will build an army of spiritual soldiers fighting for the same cause, advancing the same mission. And when there's alignment like that and persistence, perspective like that, and unity like that and relationship like that, not even the gates of hell shall prevail against it. I wonder, what are some of the gates hell has put up in your life and in your situation that you are having trouble breaking through. And you've prayed all.

You can pray. But the problem is chronological snobbery in which we've never invited somebody else into our mix to pray with us, encourage us, remind us that life is serious. But don't take life too serious. You can still have a joy in your spirit and a smile on your face, and you can hold grief and joy in the palm of one hand and you can say, surely the Lord is in this place, even in the face of the gates of hell, where two or more are gathered. The Bible says, there he is.

Is he there when it's just you in a room? Of course he is, but it's the mindset that as iron sharpens iron, so one individual can encourage and sharpen and correct and lead and guide and motivate the other. And when you got somebody like that in your life, not even the gates of something like hell itself can prevail against you.

The Bible says in Hebrews, chapter 10, let us then, in light of everything we're talking about, let us consider. That word doesn't mean like, think about it.

Yeah, yeah, I heard what you said. Consider is to intentionally think deeply about something. Let us think, think through, strategize, plan out.

Let us consider how to stir up one another. For what? To love God, love people, to do good works. Not neglecting the gathering the church together, but once again encouraging one another.

Then the creed continues. I believe in the communion of saints. Now, saints doesn't mean that you're perfect. Someone is like, I'm out. If you would have heard the words I said on the way in the church, I'm out.

There's no stained glass with this photo on it. No, that's not what I'm saying. It's saying, it's calling people who are following Jesus with their heart saints. I believe in the communion of saints. So when the Bible says they devoted themselves to the apostles teachings and the fellowship.

The word fellowship in Greek is the word koinia, and it means shared life. Like we're doing life together because. Because we're not. We're not physical bodies with a soul. We're a soul that has an earthly body.

So when we pursue God together, we're knitted in the deepest places of. Of our being. Paul writes, now you are a body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it. So I want to tell everybody who feels isolated and alone and it, you're a part of something bigger than yourself. You're a part of something bigger than your doubt and your fear.

And can I say it? Can I say it like it needs to be said? You're a part of something bigger than your insecurity.

So many times. Well, I walked in and nobody talked to me. And I walked in and nobody did. I walked in, they looked at me and they laughed. They were laughing about something before you walked in.

Go see what they're laughing about. I had a bad day. What you talking about?

I've seen most people take themselves out of the bride of Christ calling it church hurt, when in fact what they were really hurt about was their own insecurity told them a lie that they couldn't distinguish from the truth.

Oh, I Walked in and they just. Were they, were they? Because I have found that people think far less about other people than what people think. We're all consumed with ourselves.

Somebody the other day says, oh man, I just think everybody's talking about me because of what I did. And just, I'll talk a talk.

And I said, it's far worse than that. Nobody even knows you because you come in late and you leave early. You don't get involved and you don't say anything to anybody. But then when you do come in, you're just mad. We love you, can be patient with you.

You always belong here. But please don't take out on other people for using a voice. They never cleared their throat and spoke because some. Pastor, why is it we can never get to you? I'm down here after service every Sunday.

What you talking about? You got a bodyguard. They're there to assist with questions that. I don't even know what's happening. Pastor, when's this connect group?

I don't know. I just work here. What are we talking about? All I'm saying is don't let insecurity or the voice of your adversary be the ventriloquist for your soul. Trying to operate like it's God's tone of voice.

It's not. You belong here, so act like you belong. You're a part of a family who loves you. Let me end with this. The creed says the forgiveness of sins.

I believe in the church, the communion of saints and the forgiveness of sins. When I first read this, I was shocked that the forgiveness of sins was here in placement. Why wasn't it up there talking about the crucifixion when Jesus died for our sins?

And here's what I've come to believe. Forgiveness isn't merely how you enter the kingdom. It's how the kingdom functions. When the kingdom people get together, the church is not perfect. It's funny when people say things like, oh man, we just got to get back to the New Testament church.

The New Testament. Y' all have problems. When you read the letters that Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, we have it in our Bibles called Corinthians. Half the letter feels like Paul is. I cannot believe we're talking about this.

Guys, don't have sex with your mother in law. Like it's in there. It's in there. That's the things he's addressing. We need to get back to the New Testament church.

In some ways, I hope we don't. That's a counseling session. I'M not prepared for. And you did what with who? And the church has never been.

I'm not going to say that at the other services. That's just for you. 8:30 group. You can trust me on that. The forgiveness of sins is how the kingdom functions in order to be kingdom minded, full of kingdom people.

So let me just say this out loud, what some of your souls need to hear.

We know you're not perfect and we're over it. Can we just move on together? We all have a past. We all have a future. You're wanted more than you give yourself credit for.

You have more wisdom than we need, no matter your age. Even the Bible told teenagers set the example in speech, life, love, faith and period. We can learn from everybody around here. But we got to put ourselves in situations where we can be known and therefore know other people. Why should I believe in the church?

Because Jesus believed in the church. The question isn't do I need the church? The question is why would I want to live apart from it? It's fractures and imperfections and all because at the end of the day, the church is not pastored by an individual. It's pastored by the good shepherd who takes responsibility for the gathering of his people and the advancement of his mission.

We in our humility get to be a part of its gathering. It's funding, it's connecting and it's sending. And so when it comes time for summer connect group, which is right now, it's one of the most important things you can do. We're not trying to fill up your calendar. We know you're busy people, you got a lot of stuff going on.

They're all good things. But you deserve to be a part of a community in which shared life actually, actually takes place. For if you think God is speaking to you in rows, you ought to see what he can do in circles. You ought to see what he can do on a hike. He ought to see, you ought to see what he can do rollerblading and, and, and pickleball tournaments and basketball and running groups.

Why do we have so many different types of groups? Because there's all different types of interest in our heart. Some people like doing things that I don't like to do. But there's a group for that.

Because you're that important. In the Connect center, sign up, get online. Sign up. Let me end with this. If you get online and there's a group that doesn't start spark your interest, that could be the Holy Spirit asking you to start a group because I promise you there's more people that want to do the things that you enjoy doing than you give yourself credit for.

So Lord, thank you for the humble privilege of being invited into your establishment. We know this the church is not just a bride of Christ, it's an extension of your capacity of family and love. So Lord, thank you for the opportunity to be a part of something so precious as the Church of Jesus, Lord, where hurts and offenses have taken root. We pray that you would eradicate it with joy and laughter and peace. May the best of times be resurfaced again, because we are a part of the best thing that will outlive and outlast and outshine anything in modern society.

That is what you are building. So would you bless it? Would you favor it? Would your grace drench us as we gather together under the name of Jesus, in your name and everybody said amen. Amen.