Walk in Love: Loving the Church

I.  Introduction

A. Fandoms of the World[1]

B. Fan or Follower

C. What is the Church?

1.    The church is not an organization or a building.

2.    You’ve probably heard me say at some point, “You don’t go to church, you are the church.”

3.    The church is the people who have responded to the gospel and are seeking to live faithfully in following Christ.

D. Review of Series- Walking in Love

1.    Loving God- Keep His commandments, imitate His Son, and share His message.

2.    Loving Self and Others- Love God (He has provided best way), Love self (find value in God’s eyes), and Love others (put yourself in their shoes).

3.    This morning, let’s examine what it means to love the church.

II.  Loving the Church

A.  of the Church- The Why

1.    In our passage, we are reminded of the sacrifice that was needed to establish the church.

a.    Jesus died to and the church. The word sanctify means to set something aside as sacred (hagios).

b.    It is evident that the church is something that God planned and cares deeply about; its beginning required great sacrifice.

2.    In our passage, Paul compares the relationship of the husband and wife to that of Christ and the church.

a.    Ephesians 5:2 …gave Himself up for us…

b.    Ephesians 5:25-27 …gave Himself up for her…

c.    In these two passages, Paul emphasizes that Jesus sacrificed Himself because of His love for the church.

3.    If the church is this to God, shouldn’t it be to us?

4.    If that’s true, what does it look like to love the church?

B.  of the Church

1.    The picture of the church in Scripture is something more than a community; it is a .

a.    Families depend on each other in the best and worst of times.

b.    We’re not supposed to be strangers or just acquaintances; we’re supposed to be family.

c.    Ephesians 2:19

2.    While the church is not dependent upon any one person to survive (remember, it’s God who gives the increase), He has created the church to be a place where we can grow individually alongside others in our spiritual journey. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

a.    In short, our church family is a place built on trust- trust in God and trust in one another.

b.    Being interdependent in the church means that I can others to do their part and can also be to do mine.

3.    Are you in love with the church family? Maybe asking some of these questions will give you an answer.

a.    What would happen if West End closed our doors? Would I miss it? Would I miss anyone here?

b.    Would anyone miss me? Would there be a hole in my life?

c.    If I had to move, is my church family something I would miss the most?

4.    Church Hurt

a.    Just like any loving relationship, the more we love, the easier it can be to experience heartache.

b.    When we trust one another and make ourselves vulnerable, there is a chance we may experience hurt. That’s part of being a family. Some of the hardest gut punches you receive in life come from your family. It’s how we respond to it that matters most.

c.    Learning to live through hurt towards reconciliation can make our church family even more of a blessing than our physical family.

5.    God has provided a place of connection to Him through others in the church.

C.  in the Church

1.    The things we truly love, we get in. We ourselves in them.

2.    It has long been understood that people struggle to walk away from things they love because they are so deeply invested in them.

3.    We sometimes think that our love for the church should just be automatic, but that’s not what we find in Scripture.

a.    We find exhortation regarding our involvement in the church.

b.    Hebrews 10:24-25

c.    The Greek word for neglecting is ἐγκαταλείπω (enkataleipō), which implies leaving something or someone behind.[3]

d.    It’s the word Jesus utters from the cross when He feels utterly alone and cut off (Matthew 27:46).

4.    Involvement in the church is not just about finding your place; it’s about for God.

5.    Involved or Estranged

a.    Sometimes, our involvement in the church wanes because we become too involved in other aspects of life, including good ones.

b.    It reminds me of the statement, “If the devil can’t convince you to be bad, he’ll make you busy.”

c.    That’s often how we lose interest in things; we become involved in things that take their place.

6.    If we love Jesus, we will invest ourselves in His church.

III. Conclusion

A. Followers, Not Fans

B. Invitation

Questions for Discussion

1.    Love for the Church: What does it mean to love the church, and how can we demonstrate that love in practical ways?

2.    The Sacrifice of Christ and the Church’s Importance: Jesus’ sacrifice established the church as something sacred and vital to God’s plan. How does understanding the depth of Jesus’ sacrifice for the church change the way we view our role and commitment to the church community?

3.    Interdependence in the Church: The church is described as a family where members rely on one another for spiritual growth and support. How can we assess whether or not we are genuinely engaging as we should? How can we foster a deeper sense of interdependence within our church, ensuring that we both contribute to and benefit from this family dynamic?

4.    Handling Church Hurt: In any close-knit family, hurt can occur. How can we cultivate a culture of reconciliation and healing within the church when trust is broken or when members experience hurt?

5.    Involvement in the Church: The passage emphasizes that genuine love for the church leads to active involvement. How does our involvement reflect our love for God and the body of Christ?