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Chapter 2. The Pattern of the Church
'In whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit' (Eph. 2:21,22)
It is imperative, if we are to be pastors of God's people, that we have in our hearts a clear picture of the church which the Lord is to build: '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.' (Matt. 16:18) Just as God led Moses up the mountain, so must we be led of God to see the pattern: 'And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.' (Exo. 25:8-9)
In the letter of Paul to the Ephesians he reveals five pictures that illustrate the various facets of the church, each looking at different aspects.
The Church
The word church - ekklesia - means called out ones, from ek- out of and klesis- a calling, and was used by the Greeks as a body of citizens gathered to discuss the affairs of state. It was also called an assembly. 'But if you have any other inquiry to make, it shall be determined in the lawful assembly.' (Acts 19:39) It has two applications to companies of Christians. Firstly, to the whole company of the redeemed throughout the present era, secondly, to the singular number of congregations of professed believers, born again by the Spirit of God, gathering in a certain town or location. 'To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.' (1 Cor. 1:2)
For instance, the Ephesian church had been born after the visit of the Apostle Paul to a group of twelve men who had obviously not received the Holy Spirit. After hearing the gospel of salvation they were baptised and the Holy Spirit came and dwelt in their hearts, so that 'they spoke with tongues and prophesied.' (Acts 19:6)
The Building
The first picture I want to introduce is that of a building. We are here directed towards foundational things. We are told that the church is a building: 'built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief-corner stone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.' (Eph. 2:20-22) God, in building His Church, must build it upon Himself..
The parable of the wise and the foolish man, illustrates the necessity of building upon rock, not sand: 'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name'" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!'" Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Now everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at his teaching.' (Matt. 7:21-28)
God must deal with all that would cause the building to fall: 'you are God's building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.' (1 Cor. 3:9-13)
We see further this principle worked out by God in His instructions to Solomon when he built the dwelling place God required. It was to be built upon Mount Moriah, the place where Abraham offered Isaac and where David made sacrifice for his sin in numbering the people. The Church was to be founded upon the principal of the cross. Peter refers to the church as 'living stones' (1 Peter 2:5) and the picture in revelation of new Jerusalem is one of precious stones and streets of pure gold. Every person whose heart it is to be part of the church, will know the laying of the axe to the root of the tree so that he may be holy and pure: 'And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.' (Matt. 3:10)
The Body
'There is one body.' (Eph. 4:4) This picture directs our attention to our functioning together in church life. I can see an obvious comparison between the Lord's body, which was perfect, and our own lives and the church, as it functions together in purity and love, brought from sin into the pure life of God. 'Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death' Therefore we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.' (Rom. 6:3-6)
The new testament is full of incomplete men and women due to sin. Such as blind men, lame men, the deaf and the lepers. Jesus came into the world to restore to wholeness: 'Behold! The lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). 'he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.' (Heb. 2:14-15) He was the perfect man and so 'he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.' (2 Cor. 5:21) Jesus said to the religious of his day that he was going to destroy the body of sin and make a new man in himself: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." But he was speaking of the temple of his body' (John 2:19,21) 'so as to create in himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.' (Eph. 2:15)
Church life becomes the visible expression of this new man, born again into one body, 'For as the body is one, and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.' (1 Cor. 12:12,13) As the body is one in practice, so the church should be one in practice, moving together in unity, revealing the true nature of the body of Christ. 'Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and of one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.' (Acts 4:32)
Paul goes on to say, in his letter to the Corinthian Church, more of the functioning publicly of the body, which should be evident in every church.
The Family
'From whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.' (Eph. 3:15) The third of our pictures lies central to the five, the theme being family life. This surely is the heart of any married couple, that out of their union together they should bring forth fruit, children after their own likeness. In the old testament there were many women who discovered they were barren, one being. Rachel, who cried: "Give me children, or else I die!" (Gen. 30:1) What we find in the early church is that they became very fruitful, growing at a phenomenal rate. 'Then those that gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.' (Acts 2:41,47)
We shall consider the subject of family life in a later chapter, set aside for this express purpose.
The Bride
'Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.' (Eph. 5:25) Here we have a picture of the church as the perfect union between husband and wife. Marriage, a corner stone in the purposes of God as a real expression of His heart, is a picture of love and perfection. Later on we shall expand the whole development of marriage but meanwhile let us remind ourselves of this great love as the Scripture recalls it. 'Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.' (1 Cor. 13:4-8)
The Soldier
The final picture is that of the soldier, the warrior fighting the battle alongside the Lord, his captain, dealing with the enemy of the church. 'Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.' (Eph. 6:11) What do we know about soldiers'
They are disciplined men: 'You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, in order that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.' (2 Tim. 2:3-4) They are obedient: 'For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, "Go," and he goes; and to another, "Come," and he comes; and to my servant, "Do this," and he does it.' (Matt. 8:9) Jesus we know: 'learned obedience by the things which he suffered.' (Heb. 5:8) They are men in constant communication with their commanding officer. Duncan Campbell, a man used by God in the revival that broke out in the Hebrides, said that he 'didn't believe in the religion of any one who was not found regularly at the church prayer meeting'.
Jesus, we read: 'often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.' (Luke 5:16) It was the secret of his ministry of healing and deliverance: 'And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.' (Luke 5:17) The soldier is to be clothed with all the armour of God: 'Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteouness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.' (Eph. 6:13-18) The soldiers task is to work with God in defeating the enemy in the lives of those who have been overtaken.
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