Matthew 16:15-18 (NIV) 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Acts 2:1-4, 43-47 (NIV) 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Before Jesus called people to believe, before Jesus taught them how to live, He simply called them into a belonging community. They entered into this fellowship without much understanding but with a sense that somehow they belonged in this group of disciples. And, when we hear about the beginning of the church the words and actions crackle with invitations to belong. The word Luke uses over and over again in the book of Acts to describe the togetherness of the church has its base in the word harmony.
But here is the paradox: people often resist finding that sense of belonging in church. Our society tends to speak of community as intrusive, oppressive, dominating, and coercive, stamping out mindless, colorless individuals who conform just because they are told to. We hear little about the way community helps the health and happiness of the individual.
Sadly, sometimes the church fails to be a place of belonging. The church becomes a place where we get helps and hints on better living. It becomes an organization for the moral development of our children. It becomes a social service organization that helps people do a little good in our world. All of this is very good, but it falls short of being the community of belonging to God and to one another that Jesus came to give. The church is a community of belonging, of belonging to God and to one another because we have Jesus’ word on it and His commitment to it. I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. He will build a community where people really belong and all the forces that seek to keep people isolated and deprived of community will not prevail over His will and commitment to the church. That is Jesus’ promise.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope August 13, 1995
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell
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