Sunday, October 10, 1965

Topic: Twofold
1st What can the church do for a Christian?
2nd  What can a Christian do for the Church?

To start with I want everyone to be aware of the fact that this is a very inclusive and lengthy topic and requires much more time and talent than I have as I stand before you this morning.

I would like at the start also to establish the fact that what I have to say on the subject is my own personal view point.  If my point of view doesn't agree exactly with yours I hope you will not shut your mind's eye but rather will listen to what I say and take it home and chew on it, and then tell me what you think.  In this way you and I can both grow.  This is known as constructive communication.  Thomas Paine put this in a much simpler form.--He said, " If I do not believe as you believe, it proves that you do not believe as I believe, and that's all it proves."

Before we can take up the discussion of this twofold topic we need to establish by detention what we mean by the terms Christian-and-Church-- and I am going to include the term "born-again Christian".

A Christian is a person professing a belief in Jesus as the Christ, or a person having the qualities demonstrated and taught by Jesus Christ.

The Church is the fellowship of Christians.  In the New Testament the word for Church is "ecclesia".  The basic meaning of this word is a meeting or gathering of people.  Ecclesia may be viewed from the standpoint of God's action towards and upon men.  The ecclesia or Church then can be understood as the people who have been called out, chosen, gathered, justified, glorified, or sanctified by God.  God calls men; they in response call upon God.  Those who thus constitute the ecclesia, or Church.

Born-again Christian--many of today's Christians avoid the use of this term--it embarrasses them.  In the early or first Church the followers of Christ where simply know as Christians.  The term was tacked on to all those that lived according to Christ's teachings.  Today as I stated before this is not the meaning of the word Christian, so there is a need to distinguish between Christian and born-again Christian in my opinion.  Today a true Christian-- a born-again Christian-- is one who has accepted Christ and his way for his life and is honestly trying to live according to Christ's teachings.  Let me hasten to add he is not a perfect man or woman.

Now that we have set the ground rules for this talk let us consider, "What the Church can do for Christian".

It can provide opportunities for learning.  In the Church school, in the prayer meeting groups, in the MYF meetings, and in special study groups.  These times of study are very important for all Christians because they provide the opportunities for growth toward Christian perfection.

The Church can provide the fellowship that is necessary for all Christians.--If we are going to be good Christians we should look for our fellowship among other good Christians.  If all of your fellowship is in and of the world you will fall short of being part of the ecclesia.  It is as simple as this---good begets good---and evil begets evil.

The Church provides the Christian with many high moments in his life---such as baptism, confirmation, membership and opportunities to serve.  It provides the renewing of the mind, heart and spirit in the service of communion.  It starts two people off on the road to a life -time companionship in the marriage ceremony.  It provides solace and comfort when we suffer the loss of loved ones.

The business of the Church is to provide a starting place for all people and to help them to grow in the knowledge and stature of Jesus Christ to the end that they will love the Lord their God with all their hearts, and with all their soul, and with all their mind, and their neighbor as their self.

Secondly--"What can a Christian do for the Church?"

Let's look on the negative side first.  A nominal Christian can be a bad influence to other people around him. He can be a negative witness by poor attendance, by worldly living, and by association with bad companions.  You have all heard the people speak of this type of Christian witnesses too--you've heard this argument--"why do I want to join that Church on the corner of Melville and St. Clair--look at all the hypocrites that go there.  But friends I would rather see these so called hypocrites in the Church exposed to the love of God and the fellowship of the ecclesia than standing outside the fellowship making excuses for their moral attitude toward the call of God.

On the positive side the born-again Christian can serve the Church in many ways.--He can be the leader of a Sunday School class, he can work with Youth groups.  He can serve the Church by offering his service to the commission on Membership and Evangelism by offering to call in the homes of the membership and in the community.  He can give of his time and talent by serving on the boards and committees when called on by the nominating committee.  He can support the Church through the work of the Women's Society, the Guild and the Men's Club.  By giving of his time and talent to the local Church the Christian is able to advance the cause of Jesus Christ through out the world through missions and evangelism.

Let me close with a thought from Bishop Gerald Kennedy's book titled "I Believe".  He says--I believe in the Church.  I believe that every man who knows he ought to do something about making the world a better place should be in the Church.  I believe the Church can add my own feeble efforts to the efforts of others and make them count for something.  He continues with this little antidote--Someone asked a deaf and dumb man, "Why do you come to Church each Sunday when you cannot hear the Service?"

He wrote out this reply:  "I come each week to let people know which side I am on."

Finally Bishop Kennedy says---I want to be on the side of the Church, I need the comfort and inspiration of the Christian fellowship, and that fellowship deserves the best I can give it.  Just as it is impossible to be an American without America, I believe it is impossible to be a Christian without the Church.

Nottingham Methodist Church
Nottingham Village, Cleveland, Ohio
10/10/1965