We Are the Church

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 12th of July, 2020, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service, also streamed live, due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our YouTube streaming channel is:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

The church of our Lord Jesus once again finds itself suffering through a time of great trial.  The events of the past half-year are unprecedented, in our nation and at least in our lifetime.

Sure, the church has experienced similar incidents throughout US history, but those have been isolated and rare, not widespread and common throughout the country.  But now, services have been canceled all over.  People have been constrained from gathering together for worship.  Some have been arrested on their own church grounds for trying new ways to worship together.  And now I’ve seen in the news where some churches have been told not to sing or join in congregational readings or recitations, even though they are allowed to come together in their sanctuaries.

The early church knew all about suffering and persecution.  They met in homes and the back rooms of stores, often times having to stay hidden to avoid arrest.  But the church survived, and will always survive, because it was built by Jesus upon a rock.  And part of the church’s survival is thanks to its make-up, its composition.

Please listen and follow along to how the Apostle Paul describes the church, in the 12th chapter of his 1st letter to the church in Corinth, and I’ll be reading this from the English Standard Version of our Holy Bible…

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills.

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way. 

--1 Corinthians 12 (ESV)

Let us pray…  Father God, by the works and sacrifice of Your Son Jesus, and by our acceptance of Him as our Master and Savior, we have Your Holy Spirit within us and can freely say that Jesus is Lord!  Through Your Spirit You have given each of us believers a gift, a spiritual gift, some special talent or ability.  And You have fashioned us into one body, one family by adoption.  Father, please help us use our gifts to serve You.  Help us to put our special abilities to use and to be of one mind so that the whole body of Christ can function smoothly, to the benefit of all.  Help us to love as Jesus loved, to see others through His eyes, to use our gifts in service to You by serving them.  And Father, please protect this family from all the effects of the coronavirus and what is going on in the world today.  Please keep us strong in our faith, unified in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through the days ahead.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us for this day, that it may stay with us through every day.  Speak to us of serving You by serving others using the gifts You have given us.  Help us take guidance and strength from Your Holy Spirit within us. This we pray under the blood and in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


Religious author Gregory P. Elder once wrote:

"Growing up on the Atlantic Coast, I spent long hours working on intricate sand castles; whole cities would appear beneath my hands.  One year, for several days in a row, I was accosted by bullies who smashed my creations.  Finally I tried an experiment: I placed cinder blocks, rocks, and chunks of concrete in the base of my castles.  Then I built the sand kingdoms on top of the rocks.  When the local toughs appeared (and I disappeared), their bare feet suddenly met their match.  Many people see the church in grave peril from a variety of dangers: secularism, politics, heresies, or plain old sin.  They forget that the church is built upon a Rock, over which the gates of hell itself shall not prevail."

I just love that imagery of the bullies kicking the sandcastle and hitting the hidden rocks and chunks of concrete.  But you know, the greatest bully of all is Satan.  He’s been trying to kick over the church for almost 2000 years now.  But he just keeps stubbing his toes.  And that’s because the church is built on a rock, the Rock of our salvation, against which the gates of hell itself cannot prevail.  We are the church, and Jesus is our Rock.


There was a time when Jesus had a talk with His disciples.  Jesus asked them who the people said He was.  The answers were varied, just as the level of understanding of the people varied.  And then Jesus asked His followers who did they themselves say He was.

Simon replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus assured him that that knowledge had been revealed to him by God.  The Apostle Matthew recorded the next thing Jesus said to Simon, in chapter 16 verse 18 of his Gospel account…

18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

--Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)

Now you may hear different interpretations of that verse, with some saying that Simon Peter himself is the foundation of the church.  After all, Jesus gave Simon the name Peter which in the Greek means “rock”.  But many, myself included, believe that Jesus was referring to what Peter had just said, not to Peter himself.  Peter confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah, and the true Son of the living God.  That confession of faith is the rock, the foundation, upon which Jesus built His church.

Notice that Jesus is the Builder, not the foundation.  Jesus is our Rock, upon which we stand, but the church itself is built upon our professions of faith, our confessions from our mouths and from our hearts, that Jesus is Christ our Lord, the true Son of God.


So, we are the church.  We, the people who confess Jesus as Lord, not the building but the folks who congregate here… we are the church!  And in our scripture reading, Paul describes us.

We have each been given some gift, or gifts, from God because of our belief in Jesus His Son.  While we’ve all been blessed in so many ways, I’m talking about spiritual gifts here.  Gifts that we should put to use in serving God.  The gifts are varied, just as we, the members of the church, are varied.

The church is the body of Christ left on earth to carry on His work, and each of us are members of that body.  Just as each member of our physical body has a function, a purpose, each of us has a function, a purpose to fulfill within the body of Christ.  And we were given a gift to help fulfill that function.

Paul tells us each gift is a manifestation of the Spirit Himself, given for the common good – not just for our own good, but for the good of all.  And while each of us is different and has a different gift or talent, we are still each part of the larger whole, each a part of the entire body.  Even this church family of Pilgrim is one member of the greater body of Christ, the Church with a capital “C”.

Our individual physical body does not consist of just one member, nor does the church.  We all have a role to play, and we have been given some special ability to help us in that task.


Then Paul gets to a message that I think every member of every church and every church of the body of Christ needs to better understand.  Each part of this body is important.  No one part is more important than another.  Even the weakest part is still indispensable.

God has so composed the body that there be no division within the body, but that its members may have the same care for one another!  And that goes for whether we’re talking about our individual physical body, the body that is Pilgrim Church, or the full body of Christ left on earth.

We are the church, members of the body of Christ, and God intended that there not be any division among us!  We are to have the same care for one another, not choosing favorites, not considering some to be less worthy, not putting ourselves ahead of anyone else.  Because, as a body, if one of us suffers, we all suffer.  If one of us hurts, we all hurt.  If one of us is honored, we should all rejoice.  This is how a body works.

Think about it this way…  if your feet hurt or your back hurts or your head aches, how tough is it to get anything done, or even to just get through the day?  Well family, sometimes we give each other headaches.


Jesus founded His church upon the confessions of all believers that He is the Christ, the Son of God.  He gave us a couple really easy, simple tasks.  We are to love one another as we love ourselves, as He loves us.  And we are the witness to Him, confess our faith in Him so that others can hear and see it, and by our love and belief, we can enable them to follow Him also.

But sometimes we can’t even manage to love one another here within the family of God, the body of Christ.  Divisions open among us.  We let our pride get in our way.

We are the church.  Let’s remember to act like it.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, our Master, our Savior.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, thank You first and most of all for calling us to faith and belief in Jesus as Your Son, sent to redeem us of our sin.  Thank You for the special gifts and abilities You give us, empowered by Your Holy Spirit.  Please help us put those gifts to better use in serving You by serving others, even those within the body of Christ.  Help us to truly be the body You intended, one without division, one that cares earnestly for one another.  And help us be more faithful, more trusting, more loving, more merciful, and more kindhearted in our daily walk.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You straight from our hearts, promising to repent of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You built Your church upon the rock that is composed of our confessions of You as our Lord.  We recognize You as the true Son of God, the Christ sent to free us from our sin, the Messiah upon whom we can place all our hope and trust.  Jesus, help us, please, to fulfil our role within Your church.  Help us to be good, active members of Your body.  Please heal the divisions that creep in and separate us.  Help us to love, to serve, to do no harm.  And please, Lord, be ever with us as we walk through these troubling times.  Help us remain faithful and obedient through it all, concerned more with the mission of the church and the needs of others than with our own wants and desires.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.