Grounded · Week 6 · 38 min read
What is the Church?
You were never meant to do this alone.
In this lesson:
“What is the church?” What comes to mind when we ask this question?
Some responses may be:
- It’s where all the Christians go on Sundays!
- It’s where I go to hear a good message and some good music.
- It’s a place to bring my kids so they learn right from wrong.
- It’s a place to find friends who share my faith.
- It’s where my life was changed; I found hope!
These are good things about church, but they don’t completely define what the Church actually is.
The Church isn’t just a place or a building that we gather in. WE are the church. The New Testament word for church, ekklesia (EK-LAY-SEE-A), literally means “called-out ones” or “assembly.” It’s a people word, not a place word. In fact, the first Christians had no buildings at all for roughly 300 years. They met in homes (Romans 16:5, Colossians 4:15). So when Paul wrote “to the church in Corinth,” he wasn’t addressing a structure on a street corner. He was addressing people.
When you received salvation, you became a part of the BIG C – Church. You were never meant to live this new life alone. Whether you know it or not, you were adopted into a family.
Our goal for today is to understand what the Church really is and how to find our place in it. And let me confirm now: you have a place in it. This is one of the most important steps you can take as a new believer.
But let’s be honest, for a lot of people, the word “church” carries some baggage. How does the saying go? “You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.” The same applies to the church. Maybe you’ve been hurt by a church. Maybe you’ve witnessed hypocrisy. Maybe you’ve seen leaders abuse their power. Maybe you’ve seen the kind of religious performance that looks nothing like Jesus.
Those experiences are real, and they are important to acknowledge. The truth is that the church has failed people through hypocrisy, through legalism, through leaders who abused their trust and authority. Jesus saw every one of those failures coming, and He still called the church His bride and promised the gates of hell would not prevail against it.
The answer to a broken church is not to walk away from the Church. Note, I’m referring to the Big C Church here. Unfortunately, sometimes the reality of the situation is that people might have to leave a local church to find a different local church that is healthy and operating according to God’s Word. The truth is, no matter where you find people both inside and outside of the church, you will always find broken people. I’ll address these issues more in a few minutes.
Matthew 16:18 (NIV) “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.”
This is what Jesus said about the Church. Jesus is committed to His Church. He loves His Church. To understand the Church is to understand that Jesus cares deeply about us.
A. The Church is a Body
1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV) “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
(Read 1 Corinthians, Chapter 12 in the NLT version on your own. Paul talks about the Body of Christ.)
Just like the human body is made up of many parts that all work together as one, the Church is made up of many people with different gifts, different talents, and different roles. God has given us an identity. He defines who we are. He defines what we’re called to do. He’s designed you and me for a purpose. It’s up to you to discover the purpose and discover the things that God has put inside of you. Sometimes those things won’t surface in your life until you say Yes, which I’ll talk more about here in just a bit. But as a body, we share the same goal. We walk through this life together. We’re a spiritual family. Marked by unity. Marked by care for one another. Marked by sound, Bible-based teaching. Marked by real fellowship and marked by prayer.
When you gave your life to Jesus and made Him Lord, you didn’t sign up for religion. You didn’t get handed a church membership card. (We don’t even do the membership cards anymore!) You were brought into a family. And just like a body needs every part to function, the Church needs your gifts. Your talents. Your testimony. When one part is missing, something is lacking. In the same way, you need to know what your gifts are and exercise them. Finding Your Place – We All Serve
So if the Church is a body and every part matters, that leads to a practical question. What’s my part? What am I supposed to actually do?
Let’s answer this in two parts.
First, there are things every single one of us is called to do. No exceptions. No waiting period. You don’t need to discover anything or take a test to start on these:
- We are all called to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). That’s not a job for the super spiritual. That’s the assignment for every believer.
- We are all called to reflect Jesus. People should be able to look at how we live, how we speak, how we treat others, and see something of Him.
- We are all called to pursue unity and to make the church a better place than we found it. (Ephesians 4:3)
- We are all called to serve. Jesus said even He “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). If the King serves, nobody in the Kingdom is above it.
Second, there are specific things the Lord has gifted each of us to do. Scripture calls these spiritual gifts. Things like singing, praying, teaching, working with children, encouraging, giving, leading (Romans 12:6-8, 1 Peter 4:10). God wired you for a purpose, and part of your journey as a new believer is discovering what those gifts are. We can help you with this.
You don’t have to wait until you know your spiritual gifts to start serving. Some of you are thinking, “I don’t know what my gift is yet, so I guess I’ll sit tight until I figure it out.” No. Stack chairs. Pick up trash in the parking lot. When someone asks for volunteers, raise your hand. None of those require a spiritual gifts assessment. They require a servant’s heart.
Here’s a great example: when you’re part of a family and dinner is over, everybody picks up their own plate and brings it to the sink. Nobody in the family says, “Well, dishes aren’t really my gifting.” You do your part because that’s what family does. You’re part of the household now. And in God’s house, we all clear our plates.
Here’s what anyone who’s served in the church for a while knows: you usually discover your gifts while you’re serving, not before. You volunteer in the children’s ministry and realize (or not) God has given you a heart for kids. You help set up for an event and discover you’re gifted at organizing. Again, serving isn’t what you do after you find your gift. Serving is very often how you find it.
1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
Notice Peter doesn’t say “each of you who feels ready.” He says each of you. You have received something. The Body needs it. So find a place to plug in and start.
The Church – There’s Big, and then there’s local. The Bible speaks of the Church in two ways. There is the universal Church (big C), every believer in Jesus across the world and across history. And there is the local church, a specific family of believers. Here’s why that matters. You can’t be known, encouraged, or sharpened by the universal Church. That happens in a local church. Being part of the Body means committing to a body. A place where you show up. A place where you’re missed when you’re gone. A place where your gifts get exercised.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV) 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
God uses people to sharpen people.
Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) 17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Remember what we talked about last week with discipleship. You should be praying and be on the lookout for someone to mentor you after these 9 weeks are over. The growing, the learning, the going deeper should not stop. A good mentor is someone who is going to make you hungry and thirsty for more of God because you want what they’ve got. And remember, this isn’t something to be intimidated by. A good mentor won’t be arrogant or prideful; they will want to see you grow as much as you desire it too.
To better understand the church body, I want to go back and look at how it started. Teaching, relationships, worship, miracles, and generosity marked the early church.
Acts 2:42-47 (NIV) – The Fellowship of the Believers
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 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.
The early church was not just a crowd going to a Sunday service. They weren’t looking for a program for their children. They were people devoted to Jesus and to each other. Their lives were shaped by truth and marked by deep relationships; they worshiped the Lord and demonstrated love through generosity. They were devoted:
- Devotion to God’s Word
- Devotion to one another
- Devotion to worship and prayer
- Devotion to living with open hands (they were generous!)
God was certainly at work among them. Lives were being changed, needs were being met, and people were being saved. This is the church as God originally designed it. We could learn a lot from the early church.
- Not perfect people, but a devoted people.
- Not just gathered, but changed and transformed.
- Not just growing in numbers, but growing in depth.
The question for us is, “Do we just go to church?” or “Are we living as the church?”
If we’re going to church – three songs, some announcements, and a sermon once a week is not going to be enough to take your relationship with the Lord where it needs to be. It would be like if you only ate one meal a week on a Sunday morning and then waited until the next Sunday morning to eat again. The saying holds true, “Whatever you feed will grow.” You already know this, and that’s why you’re here!
Before we go on to the next point, I do want to take a moment to address church hurt. There may be people in this room today who have wounds from things that they may have experienced in the past from former churches or maybe even in this one. If you are a disciple of Jesus, you’re going to experience some church hurt at some point. There is not a single church out there that will do everything perfectly all the time. What I want you to know is that man will disappoint and sometimes even fail, but Jesus never disappoints, nor does he ever fail. I have experienced church hurt myself, and the Lord healed my wounds. If you’ve been wounded and need healing, I want to invite you to a healing prayer session. We have a team of people who would love to pray for you. I went through this myself, and the things that God spoke through the people who prayed for me were amazing. God imparted things to them that they would have never known on their own. And through that prayer time, the Lord really did heal my heart.
B. The Church as the Bride – We are the Bride of Christ
The most beautiful picture the Bible uses for the Church is this. The Bride of Christ. Not a building. Not a club. Not even just a family. A bride. The one Jesus loves, that He was willing to die for. A love that will never end. From the Old Testament all the way to the New Testament, Scripture uses this picture to show the relationship between Jesus and His people. He is the Groom. And we are His bride.
What a way to associate the Church as Jesus’s bride! This makes me think back to my wedding day. I could not anticipate my own reaction to seeing my bride walk down the aisle to me. There was such joy and a deep sense of emotion inside of me that I did not realize until that moment. I remember the tears that rolled down my face when I saw her in that white dress. And to think, I love her tremendously more now than I did on that day. How much more does Jesus love us? It’s hard to fathom.
We’ve been set apart for Him. We are devoted to Him. We’ve been made ready for Him. And one day, that relationship will be made complete when Jesus returns for His bride.
Ephesians 5:25–27 (NIV) 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
You may have heard this before: “It’s not about religion,” which is following rules; “it’s about relationship.” You can’t have a marriage that will last that’s only based on rules. If you tried that, it wouldn’t be much of a marriage.
If you’re married or know someone who is married, then you should understand that the love that you have for your spouse today is a stronger love and a deeper love than when you said, “I do.” In that same way, our love for the Lord deepens the longer you walk with Him and the more that you know Him. It’s that growing love that helps us in our walk. When love is the reason, obedience to God becomes easier because we want less of us (selfishness) and more of Him.
1 John 4:19 (NIV) 19 We love because he first loved us.
Christianity is not just rules. It’s a relationship with Jesus marked by deep love, faithfulness, and the anticipation that we will be with Him forever.
Let’s ask ourselves, “Do I just believe in Jesus?” Or, “Am I living as someone who is fully committed to Jesus?”
C. Missio Dei
Missio Dei is a Latin term meaning “Mission of God” or “the sending of God.”
God has a mission for His Church.
God’s mission is to redeem the world, and we, as the Church, are His plan to carry out that mission. We are all called to fulfill this assignment. No matter who we are, man or woman, where we were born, no matter our education, economic status, or whatever job we may have. This is the mission we are on.The last thing that Jesus said before He ascended into heaven was this:
Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV) The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
So then, let’s answer the question: who is Jesus telling to go therefore? Storytime: I used to go to a church where they had a new members class. Let me emphasize, it was not CPC. The pastor had created a series of video lessons, and in one of the videos, he was addressing The Great Commission with the people in the class. He tells the viewers that their assignment is to “bring people to church.” Once they’re in that chair, then it was going to be his job to lead them to Jesus. I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard him say that. This is why…
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds (pastors) and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
(Where we may have gotten it wrong… the comma!)Ephesians 4:12 (KJV)
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Older translations like the KJV punctuated the verse with commas that made it read as three parallel jobs for the pastor: to perfect the saints, to do the work of ministry, to build up the body. That comma is a big part of how the “pastor does the ministry” model got embedded in church culture. Modern translations removed it because the Greek grammar supports equipping the saints for the work.
Paul says that you and I are the ones to do the work of the ministry, not the pastor. What are your thoughts on this?
Knowing what our mission is should change the way we get up, not just on Sunday morning but every morning, because we have a purpose to show and tell the world of the hope that we have. But what would a Sunday morning look like if everyone showed up to pre-service prayer eager for a move of God? What would happen if, instead of people showing up empty after barely surviving the week, they came in full of the Holy Spirit, walking in victory, and ready to pour out their love on Jesus? How might you think we would encounter the Lord then? I think sometimes as a congregation people look to the pastor or the worship team to move us into a deeper time with the Lord, but that’s not the way it works.
Now back to my story for one final point. With that other pastor wrongly asking for his church to only bring someone into a building and put them in a seat, we relieve ourselves of our assignment as disciple makers. This is not what Jesus intended when He gave the command to “therefore go.” You will never grow into a mature disciple if you remain a spectator, which I ran out of time last week to really emphasize.
Look at the end of this lesson for…“APPENDIX 1: The Church Is Just One Generation from Extinction”
It offers some biblical examples of how things go wrong in the third generation when we don’t fully pass down our spiritual DNA to the next generation.
Here’s the interesting thing about what we see in the Bible and the people that God chooses to carry out His plans. If you and I were to examine people like Adam and Eve, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, and the list goes on and on and on… I would look at these people and then look at God and ask… “Are you sure, God?? Are they really your best option for this particular job?”
If we look at Paul… He was killing Christians!
Even Ananias in the book of Acts was asking, “God, are you sure?” This is what God said to him.
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
Paul was his chosen instrument!
Maybe you’ve wondered, why hasn’t Jesus come back yet? Peter gives us the answer because the mission isn’t finished yet.
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
God is deeply committed to His mission. He sent His Son to die for the world. God is patient and full of mercy and full of grace, not wanting anyone to perish. Will we choose to answer the call by being obedient and trusting God that He can and will use us? Remember, the Holy Spirit is our helper, and He will empower us to do the things that God calls us to do.
Ministry used to scare me. All I could see in myself was how inadequate I was for the job. I didn’t like to talk in front of people. I didn’t know if I knew enough about the Bible. I thought, who would listen to me? What do I have to say? And the thoughts of inadequacy would go on and on in my brain. One morning, on my way to work, I was listening to Dr. Charles Stanley preach on the radio. Charles Stanley was a well-known pastor who has gone on to be with the Lord. I was marked by the message he was preaching that day. I remember he was talking about our role in ministry, and I’ll never forget what he said,
“Your only responsibility is to say, Yes, to the Lord. The Lord is responsible for everything after our yes.”
In that moment, every fear that I had in my mind about whether or not the Lord could use me vanished. It was literally like a light bulb turned on. Even though I questioned my own ability, I never questioned if the Lord was able. I know who He is and what He can do. And because of that, I can completely trust the Lord, and my answer, without hesitation, has always been, “Yes!” after that moment.
This is a word for some of you today who question whether or not God can use you. He absolutely can. He desires to do it, and He’s waiting for your yes.
Remember, when you’re obedient, the outcome depends on the Lord. The Lord is the Lord, and you are not. He will be faithful!
So what does your yes look like this week? It doesn’t have to be a pulpit. Serve on a team here at CPC. Invite one person to church. Pray for one name, by name. Start where you are. The Lord will take care of the rest.
D. The Table of the Lord – Communion Explained
A survey was conducted in 2020 to find out the three things people most want to hear said sincerely. They are “I love you,” “You are forgiven,” and “Supper is ready”
What’s interesting is that Jesus says all three: He offers unconditional love, forgiveness of sin, and spiritual nourishment.
Source: aleteia.org, “Survey says these 3 things are what people most want to hear” (January 25, 2020).
https://aleteia.org/2020/01/25/survey-says-these-3-things-are-what-people-most-want-to-hear-guess-who-says-them-all/“I love you,” “You are forgiven,” and “Supper is ready,” We want to hear our spouse or family member tell us, “I love you.” If you’re not telling your spouse that you love them on a regular basis, change that right now! And who doesn’t want to hear, “You are forgiven,” when you mess up and apologize for what you did wrong? And I really like to cook, and I know for a fact that the people I cook for are happy to hear when I tell them that dinner is ready.
I love you. You are forgiven. Supper is ready; capture the heart of God. By now, you should understand that God loves you. 1 John 4:8 says, “God is love.” You should also understand the cross and that Jesus forgives our sin. John 3:16.
Now let’s talk about supper.
1. The Last Supper
It’s the night before the cross. Jesus is sitting at a table with the men He has poured His life into for three years. Jesus knows exactly what’s coming, even though they don’t. He knows the betrayal. He knows the arrest. He knows the trial. He knows the nails. And what does He do?
He sits down. And He shares a meal.
This was not just any meal. It’s the Passover. This was the meal Jewish families had been sharing for roughly 1,500 years. Ever since God brought His people out of Egypt. Every element on that table told a story of rescue. Every bite was a remembrance. The disciples had grown up with this meal. They knew it very well. But on this night, Jesus did something that none of them expected. He took the bread and the cup they had eaten and drunk their whole lives. And He gave them new meaning. He didn’t toss out what God had done before. He showed them that everything that came before was pointing to Him all along. To understand what Jesus did at that table, we have to understand what was on the table.
(We’ll hit the highlights here. For the full Passover background on the bread and the four cups, see Appendix 2: Digging Deeper: The Passover Table at the end of this lesson.)
Before Jesus said a word, the bread and wine were already telling a story. They were about remembering God’s rescue in the past how He delivered His people out of slavery, how He made them His own. The meal was about remembering. Every year, Israel sat down and said, in so many words, “Look what God has done for us.”
And then Jesus did something amazing.
He took this meal. This thing they had been doing for fifteen hundred years. And He fulfilled it. He stepped into the middle of it and said, in effect, “This was always about Me.”
Let’s look at how Jesus gives each part new meaning.
Bread = Jesus’s body. The bread of affliction, the bread that tasted like slavery, the bread that reminded them of suffering. That was a picture of Him. His body broken for us.
Wine = Jesus’s blood. The cup of celebration. The cup of God’s “I will” promises.
- “I will bring you out…”
- “I will deliver you…”
- “I will redeem you…”
- “I will take you as my people…”
That was His blood, poured out to make a new covenant. The promises God had been making since Exodus were being fulfilled right there at the table.
Exodus = A Greater Deliverance. The first Exodus brought Israel out of Egypt. This new Exodus, accomplished at the cross, delivers us from slavery to sin and death. Sin had a grip on us we couldn’t break on our own. Jesus broke it for us.
When Jesus told them, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” He wasn’t introducing anything new. He was taking a meal they already understood and saying, “From now on, when you eat this, remember Me. Remember what I did. Remember the rescue I accomplished.”Paul writes it down for us in 1 Corinthians:
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
2. What is the “Table of the Lord”?
When Scripture talks about the Table of the Lord, it’s using a powerful picture.
A table represents: relationship, belonging, and equality.The Invitation. You don’t invite strangers to your table. You invite the people you want to be around. You invite the people you want to know. You invite the people you want to share life with. That’s what a table is for. Being welcomed to the Lord’s Table means God has brought you in. And He wants to know you and spend time with you.
The God of the universe. The Maker of heaven and earth. The One who spoke galaxies into existence. He wants you at His table. Not because you’ve earned it. Not because you’ve cleaned yourself up enough. But because He loves you. And He’s making room for you.
Unity. Everyone around the table is equal. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been following Jesus. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living. It doesn’t matter how much you know or how much you don’t know. It doesn’t matter where you grew up. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in your past. At the table, we are equal.
We all receive the same benefits. We all receive the same treatment. We eat the same bread. We drink from the same cup. And we are reminded that we are one body in Christ.
The Table levels the ground. Nobody comes in with a higher status. There’s no VIP section. Nobody comes in with a lower status. We come in as people Jesus loved enough to die for.
3. Why do we do Communion?
Communion is practiced for three important reasons:
- To Remember: We don’t move past the cross; we come back to it.
- To Examine Ourselves: We take time to examine our hearts and get right with God. (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)
- To Proclaim: We openly declare that Jesus died for us and that He is coming again.
4. Communion is Your Invitation to Respond
Will you come to the table? Will you come knowing that there is a place for you? Will you come to remember what He’s done for you? Will you come to examine yourself and make sure you’re in right standing with God? Will you come believing that what Jesus did on the cross was enough for you and that the tomb is empty?
We don’t want to go through the motions and treat this like a religious ritual. We don’t want the bread just to be bread. We don’t want the cup to feel like just a cup. We don’t want this to become routine on the first Sunday of the month or whenever you do it. This is sacred. This is holy. This is one of the greatest gifts Jesus gave His Church.
Before you come to the table, I want you to ask yourself.
What has Jesus done for you?
What has He actually done in your life? Where has He met you? Where has He rescued you? Where has He forgiven you? Where has He carried you when you couldn’t carry yourself?
What does that mean right now?
Not last year. Not back when you first got saved. Right now. In this season. In this moment. In whatever you’re walking through this week. What does the cross mean for the thing you’re carrying today?
Bring those answers to the table. Bring your real life. Bring your real story. Bring your real need. And let Him meet you there.
Because He will.
E. Water Baptism – On Your Own
Baptism is our public profession of faith in Jesus. It is how we identify with Jesus, His death, His burial, and His resurrection. It shows that we’ve been made new in Him, an outward sign of an inward change, and it’s a reason to celebrate!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Romans 6:4 (NIV) 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
This is also why we baptize by immersion, fully under the water. Baptism paints a picture of a burial and a resurrection. Going under the water pictures being buried with Christ and coming up out of the water pictures being raised to new life. The picture matters.
Here’s an example that will help. Think of a wedding ring. The ring doesn’t make you married. The vows do. And your commitment to honor them. But the ring tells the whole world that you are married. It’s a public sign of a private commitment. Anybody who sees that ring knows where you stand. They know who you belong to.
Baptism is like that. It’s the wedding ring of our faith. It doesn’t save you. But it tells the world, “I belong to Jesus.”
The Confession: “Jesus is Lord”
When someone went into the water in the early church, they didn’t go in silently. They went in with a confession on their lips. Three words. Jesus is Lord.
That was the first creed of the church. Before the Apostles’ Creed. Before the Nicene Creed. Before any of the statements of faith we have today, there was this one simple sentence spoken at baptism.
Paul ties it directly to salvation in Romans 10:9. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Notice what Paul puts together here. Confession with the mouth. Faith in the heart. And where did that public confession happen? At water baptism. In the early church, there was no such thing as a private, anonymous believer. When you came to Christ, you said so. Out loud. In the water. In front of witnesses.
Paul says it again in 1 Corinthians 12:3: “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.” And again in Philippians 2:11, that one day every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This phrase shows up everywhere in the New Testament because it was already the recognized confession of the church within twenty years of the resurrection. Twenty years. That’s not something that developed over centuries. That’s the church saying from the very beginning, this is who we are.
Why those three words?
Because they carried more weight than we realize.
First, the word “Lord” in the Greek Old Testament is Kyrios (KOO-rea-us. It can also translate to Master or Owner.) When a new believer stood in the water and said “Jesus is Lord,” they weren’t just saying Jesus is my boss. They were saying Jesus is my Lord, my Master, my Owner. That’s a big statement. That’s the whole gospel in three words.
Second, those words could get you killed. The loyalty oath of the Roman Empire was “Caesar is Lord.” Around 155 AD, an elderly pastor named Polycarp was arrested for being a Christian. The officials actually pleaded with him. What harm is there in just saying “Caesar is Lord”? Just say the words and go home. He refused. And he was executed for it. The confession you made in the water was the confession you were willing to die for. Baptism wasn’t something done casually. It was a declaration of allegiance.
We even have proof from outside the Bible. Around 112 AD, a Roman governor named Pliny wrote a letter to the emperor describing these strange people called Christians. He said they met before sunrise and sang “a hymn to Christ as to a god.” And when he wanted to find out if someone was really a Christian, he demanded they curse Christ. Because he knew a genuine believer never would. Even the Romans understood it. What made you a Christian was your spoken allegiance to Jesus.
Confession and baptism were one event.
In the early church, the confession wasn’t something you did after baptism, like a follow-up step. It happened in the water, as part of the act itself. By around 215 AD, we have a document called the Apostolic Tradition that describes exactly how it worked. The candidate stood in the water and was asked, “Do you believe in God the Father Almighty?” They answered “I believe” and went under. “Do you believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God?” “I believe.” Under again. A third question about the Holy Spirit. A third immersion. And that threefold question and answer eventually became the Apostles’ Creed.
So the creeds of the church weren’t written in a boardroom. They were born in the baptistry.
But here’s what this means for you. When you get baptized, you’re not just getting wet. You’re not just checking a religious box. You are standing where millions have stood before you, saying the same words the church has said since the resurrection. Jesus is Lord. Not Caesar. Not my career. Not my comfort. Not me. Jesus.
Baptism is your public confession. It’s you telling your family, your friends, and the enemy himself… I belong to Jesus now. And I’m not going back.
Now, let’s address a question that comes up a lot. Is baptism required to get to heaven? No. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The thief on the cross did not get water baptized, nor was he filled with the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Yet, Jesus looked at him and said, “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.” Read about it here: (Luke 23:39-43)
So let’s be clear.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
The thief didn’t have time to be water baptized or filled with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but you do have the time, as far as we know today. We’ll talk more about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit next week, so don’t miss.
Baptism is an opportunity. An opportunity to embrace this new life in Christ. An opportunity to declare your faith out loud. An opportunity to let the world know that you belong to Him. It’s good, and we want to celebrate the decision that you have made to follow Jesus. The next Water Baptism opportunity is scheduled for Sunday, August 30th!
Finally…The Church isn’t a building you go to. It’s not a club you joined. It’s who you are now. You are part of the Body of Christ. You are part of His Bride. You’ve been brought into a family, given a mission, invited to His table, and called to live out a public faith through baptism. This life with Jesus was never meant to be lived alone. It was meant to be lived together. With people who are devoted to the Word. Devoted to one another and devoted to worship and prayer and devoted to living with open hands. So this week, ask yourself the question I’ve been asking all along. Do I go to church? Or am I living as the Church? Because Jesus didn’t die to give you a religion. He died to bring you home. And the table is set. He’s saved you a seat.
Weekly Challenge:
The “Yes” Challenge. Spend time in prayer this week asking God where He wants you to say “yes.” Then commit to obeying the first thing He puts in front of you.
Going deeper
Notes and appendices
Optional deeper material lives here, collapsed by default so the main lesson stays clean. It opens automatically when the page is printed.
APPENDIX 1: The Church Is Just One Generation from Extinction
Let me show you the scariest verse in the Bible. It’s not in Revelation. It’s in Judges.
Judges 2:10 (NIV)“After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.”
Read that again. This is right after Joshua. The generation that crossed the Jordan on dry ground, that watched the walls of Jericho fall, that took the Promised Land. That generation died. And the very next generation did not know God.
One generation. That’s all it took.
Nobody voted to abandon the faith. Nobody held a meeting and decided to quit following God. They just never deliberately passed it on. And here’s what you need to understand: drift is the default. Faith is never more than one generation from extinction. The church doesn’t continue automatically. It continues on purpose, or it doesn’t continue at all.
So how does the faith actually get passed from one generation to the next? Scripture gives us two case studies: one where the handoff failed, and one where it worked. Let’s look at both.
Case Study One: David to Solomon to Rehoboam
David did a lot of things right. On his deathbed, he charged Solomon directly:
1 Chronicles 28:9 (NIV)“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart.”
Note here where David says, “The God of your father.” David is trying to do the most important thing a parent can ever do. He’s trying to ensure that his God is also Solomon’s God. He gave Solomon the charge. He gave him the temple plans. He gave him the resources.
And it partly worked. Solomon started strong. He asked God for wisdom instead of wealth. He built the temple. He prayed one of the greatest prayers in the Bible.
But Solomon received David’s instructions without receiving David’s heart. Listen to how Scripture describes the end of his life:
1 Kings 11:4 (NIV)“As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.”
Now watch what happens in the third generation. Solomon’s son Rehoboam inherits the throne. And when his moment of decision comes, he ignores the wise counsel of the elders and listens to his friends instead. The kingdom splits. Ten tribes, gone, in a single conversation. And the Bible performs the autopsy in one sentence:
2 Chronicles 12:14 (NIV)“He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the LORD.”
Here’s an interesting fact: Solomon wrote the book of Proverbs. An entire book of a father’s instruction. “Listen, my son.” Rehoboam had access to more written wisdom than almost any young man in history. And he lost the kingdom anyway.
You can hand the next generation theology, and they still may not know who God is.
Case Study Two: Elijah to Elisha
Elijah didn’t hand Elisha a book. He threw his cloak over him (1 Kings 19:19), and Elisha burned his plowing equipment, said goodbye to his old life, and became Elijah’s servant. Do you know how the Bible identifies Elisha years later? As the one “who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah” (2 Kings 3:11). He learned ministry by doing life with a prophet. Not in a classroom. In the dust of the road. (Remember that reference?)
And here’s the part I love. When it came time for Elijah to go, he tested Elisha three times. “Stay here.” And three times Elisha refused: “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you” (2 Kings 2:2). When Elijah asked what he could do for him, Elisha asked for a double portion of his anointing. That’s inheritance language. The double portion belonged to the firstborn son. Elisha was saying, “I want to be your heir.”
But when did the handoff actually become complete? It wasn’t when Elijah’s mantle fell. It was when Elisha picked it up, walked to the Jordan, struck the water, and asked, “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” (2 Kings 2:14).
And the water parted for Elisha.
That’s the moment. Not when Elisha learned about Elijah’s God. When Elijah’s God answered Elisha directly, a secondhand faith will not survive. Every generation must encounter God firsthand. (If you grew up in a Christian home, we refer to this as not being able to ride the coat tails of your mom and dad to know who Jesus is. You have to have your own experiences with God.)
But before we celebrate for too long, let’s follow the generational line one more step. Elisha’s closest servant was Gehazi. He was positioned to be the next Elisha, the same way Elisha had been the next Elijah. Instead, Gehazi chased money, lied about it, and walked away carrying Naaman’s leprosy (2 Kings 5). The chain frayed again, one generation later.
David couldn’t guarantee his grandson. Elijah couldn’t guarantee his successor’s successor. Spiritual greatness is not hereditary. And it is not automatic.
What Does This Have to Do with the Church?
Everything. Because remember what we said the church is. Not a building. Not a church staff. It’s people. It’s you, and it’s me.
And Jesus didn’t just tell the church to make disciples. Look at the Great Commission again. “Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” What had He commanded them? To make disciples. Which means every disciple is commanded to make disciples who make disciples. The Commission has generations built into it.
Paul spells out the formula:
2 Timothy 2:2 (NIV)“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”
Count the generations in that verse. Paul. Timothy. Reliable people. Others. Four generations in one sentence. Paul wasn’t just discipling Timothy. He was discipling Timothy’s disciples’ disciples.
And that’s how you’re sitting in this room today. Somebody told somebody who told somebody who told you. A chain of faithful people, two thousand years long, runs from a mountain in Galilee straight to your chair. You are not just a member of the church. You are a link in the chain.
So here’s the question this week comes down to. The chain reached you. Will it go through you?
Because a disciple who never makes a disciple is a last link. And the church is always, always one generation from extinction.
Psalm 78 says God commanded the fathers to teach their children, “so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children” (Psalm 78:6). In turn. That phrase is the whole assignment. You received it. Now you pass it on.
Things to Think About:
- Who was the “Elijah” in your life, the person God used to bring you to faith or grow your faith? Have you ever thanked them?
- Solomon had David’s instructions but not David’s heart. What’s the difference between inheriting information about God and encountering God firsthand? Which one describes your faith right now?
- Elisha refused to leave until he received the mantle. What would it look like for you to pursue spiritual growth with that kind of hunger?
- Who is your “Elisha”? If you can’t name someone, who is one person God might be putting in front of you?
Rick Dubose is the Assistant General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God. He preaches an amazing message called Descendants on this very topic. I love that at the end of the message, he tells people who respond to the altar call, “Young people, you need to love old people, and old people, you need to love young people!” That’s the only way that we can prepare the next generation to minister to the next generation after them.
You can watch the message at this address:
Appendix 2: Digging Deeper: The Passover Table – On Your Own
Want to go deeper into what was on the table that night? Here’s the full Passover background behind the bread and the four cups. Read through this on your own this week. It will make your next communion even richer.
The Bread
The bread on a Passover table wasn’t your regular loaf. It was unleavened. No yeast. The Hebrew word is matzah. And every part of it carried meaning the disciples had grown up understanding.
The Haste of the Exodus. Israel left Egypt so quickly there was no time for bread to rise. When God moves, He moves. There wasn’t time to pack a lunch. They ate on the run.
Dependence on God’s Deliverance. They didn’t rescue themselves. God did it. Suddenly. Powerfully. And on His timing. The flatbread was a reminder that salvation came from outside of them. Not from anything they brought to the table.
Affliction and Humility. Scripture calls it “the bread of affliction” (Deuteronomy 16:3). It tasted like slavery. It tasted like what they had been rescued from. Every year when they ate it, they remembered what God had brought them out of.
The Wine
Then there was the wine. The Passover meal included four cups of wine. And like the bread, each one carried meaning the disciples knew well.
God’s promises of redemption (from Exodus 6:6–7). Before the Exodus even happened, God made four “I will” promises to His people:
- “I will bring you out…”
- “I will deliver you…”
- “I will redeem you…”
- “I will take you as my people…”
Joy and celebration of freedom from slavery. The wine wasn’t just symbolic. It was a celebration. They had been enslaved. They weren’t anymore. That’s worth lifting a cup over.
Relationship between God and His people. The cup wasn’t just about being delivered FROM something. It was about being delivered TO Someone. God didn’t rescue them and then walk away. He took them as His own.