Have you met the Tate family? Every church seems to have some members of the Tate family. Perhaps you have met some of them.

There is old man Dic-Tate who wants to run everything, while Uncle Ro-Tate tries to change everything. There's sister Agi-Tate who stirs up plenty of trouble, with help from her husband, Irri-Tate.

Whenever new projects are suggested, Hesi-Tate and his wife, Vege-Tate, want to wait until next year. Then there is Aunt Imi-Tate, who wants our church to be like all the others. Devas-Tate provides the voice of doom, while Poten-Tate wants to be a big shot.

But not all members of the family are difficult. Brother Facili-Tate is quite helpful in church matters. And a delightful, happy member of the family is Miss Felici-Tate. Cousins Cogi-Tate and Medi-Tate always think things over and lend helpful, steady hands.

And of course there is the black sheep of the family, Ampu-Tate, who has completely cut himself off from the church.

Sound familiar? That humorous story illustrates the diversity found in churches. It is amazing that God has brought people together from such diverse backgrounds to work together as a local church carrying out gospel ministry. While the diversity can sometimes cause friction, God intends that the diversity of members should serve to strengthen the church as each one makes his or her unique contribution.

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 Therefore He says: 
    "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men."　　
9 (Now this, "He ascended"--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) (Eph 4:7-10, NKJV).

First, observe in v. 7, "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift." Christ is the source of spiritual gifts given to every believer. Spiritual gifts are divinely granted capacities for spiritual service. The purpose of spiritual gifts is for mutual edification. These gifts are sovereignly and graciously given to individual members of Christ’s body. Spiritual gifts are granted to us for the purpose of conducting good works that edify the body.

Secondly, we also learn that Christ’s grace gifts are given "to each one of us." No Christian can rightfully say that he or she has nothing to contribute to the life of the church. Christ not only calls us to spiritual service, He equips us.

Paul next quotes from Psalm 68:18 demonstrating that Christ is the One who leads His people out of captivity. In verse 8 we read, "When He ascended on high." Paul identifies the One who ascended is Christ who "first descended into the lower parts of the earth," v. 9. In His humility, Christ descended to earth in His incarnation to serve us. Possibly, though not likely, it can refer to descent into the grave or Hades, in other words, the death of Christ (cf. Acts 2:27, "For you will not leave My soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your holy one to see corruption.")

After His resurrection, Jesus "ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things," v. 10. He is the ascended Lord of the universe who has all authority in heaven and on earth (Mat 28:18). The extent of His authority is unlimited. His grace and gifts supply sufficiently to every need. He fills all things.

Jesus is Lord of His church. He purchased His bride with the price of His own blood. He has a purpose and a plan for His church. That purpose is to glorify the grace of God among all people. His plan is to give gifts to His church to equip and mobilize the saints of God to spread the Good News. Jesus loves His church and supplies His church. We are His captives being led His glorious train. How wonderful it is to be part of His triumphal procession! We will learn next week about the various gifts Christ gives to His church. But for now, take a moment to thank and praise God for calling you and gifting you to be part of His eternal purpose.

The future of the SBC will be decided by the many decisions Southern Baptists will make now, said Dr. Al Mohler, President of the The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY. Mohler gave a lecture on the future of the SBC on Aug. 19 on the campus of Southern Seminary. 

Here's my synopsis of the decisions facing Southern Baptists according to Mohler. If the SBC will be relevant in the changing culture we must choose between:

* Having a bureaucratic or missiological logic.
* Our identity being tribal or theological.
* The basis of our work together to be confused or convictional.
* Our logic will be more secular or sectarian.
* We'll have to become younger or dead. We're losing 2/3 of our young people.
* We'll be more diverse (ethnically) or more diminished.
* We'll have to become more strategice or more anemic.
* We'll have to be more bold or more boring, saying the same thing, the same way with no surprises.
* We will be known for being happy or bitter. The SBC is known for crankiness on the floor of the annual convention. The crankiness is typically over non-essential, extraneous issues that detract from our mission.

For a much more thorough and accurate summary of Mohler's presentation see: http://desertchronicle.blogspot.com/2009/08/mohler-on-future-of-sbc.html.

I'm encouraged by Dr. Mohler's leadership about the future of the SBC. He obviously has given careful thought to the future of the SBC and is to be commended for his forward thinking for the cause of the gospel.

God has given us the means for fulfilling His eternal purpose—the local church. "The local church exists as God’s chosen vehicle for aiding believers in the fulfillment of the Great Commission." I like this definition of the local church. God is the one who thought of and formed the church. It is not a man-made invention. Sometimes people say, "I’m spiritual, just not into ‘organized’ religion." Well, I think organized is better than disorganized. But, we must remember that the church is God’s idea. He has given to us the means for carrying out the ministry He has called to participate in.

The first instance of the word "church" in the New Testament is in Matthew 16.

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, NKJV).

Jesus, the King, is building His church on the confession of faith that He is the Savior-King. The church of King Jesus is the manifestation of the kingdom of God in the present age. Local churches are really outposts of the kingdom. They are not just religious organizations that exist as one among many communities in the "global village." No, a church is made up of kingdom citizens who will one day live in the fully-realized and established kingdom of God during the Millennial reign of King Jesus.

God the Father has promised to Jesus, the Davidic King, the right to rule the world: "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall [rule] them with a rod of iron" (Ps 2:8-9b; Cf. Rev 2:26-27). Jesus will one day rule the world physically. In the meantime, King Jesus exercises His authority in and through the local church.

Any Christian who is not participating in the God-ordained structure of a local assembly of believers is in disobedience to God. The first Christians were drawn to each other out of mutual love and fellowship. It was their new identity in Christ that drew them together seemingly without having to be told "this is what Christians do." What they did can give us insight into the ministries of the church that we should emulate.

42　They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43　Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44　All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45　Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he 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 (Acts 2:42-47, NIV).

From this description of the early church we can identify five ministries of a local church:

1. The ministry of teaching: "they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching."

2. The ministry of fellowship: "they devoted themselves to . . . the fellowship. . . . All the believers were together and had everything in common.　. . . They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.

3. The ministry of worship: "they devoted themselves to . . . the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe . . . . they continued to meet together in the temple courts . . . praising God."

4. The ministry of service: "Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. . . . enjoying the favor of all the people."

5. The ministry of evangelism: "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

It is quite evident from a study of the New Testament that a believer cannot live out the Christian life apart from the local church. Yes, it’s true that sometimes churches do not live out their calling to love one another and many people have been disappointed and even hurt by a church. But that is no reason to abandon the local church. God uses the local church, as imperfect as it is due to being filled with imperfect people, to refine and sanctify us as we participate and exercise the "one anothers" of the New Testament. God will never abandon His church. May we give ourselves to loving and serving our Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the church, through our participation in the local church.

In service of the King,

Pastor Massimo

You and I were created with two needs that knowing God and participating in the church provides—meaning and belonging. It is now scientifically demonstrated that human beings are biologically wired to seek meaning and belonging. This observation explains a lot of what we see in society, doesn’t it? Of course God knew about this long before we did; He’s the one who formed us this way!

We are blessed to live in an era when we have a complete Bible that reveals to us the plan and purpose of God. This plan and purpose was once a mystery in previous ages.

9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him (Eph 1:9-10, NKJV).

8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him (Eph 3:8-12).

In Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians we learn about God’s purpose for the Church. We learn that this purpose was a mystery. A mystery is a previously unrevealed truth related to God’s redemptive plan. We might fairly describe the theme of Ephesians as “The mystery of God’s eternal purpose was hidden in ages past, but is now revealed in and through the church.”

Ephesians helps us answer questions surrounding our identity and purpose in Christ: What has God done for me? Who am I in Christ? What is my aim? What should I be doing as a disciple of Christ? How do I relate to the church? We will look at some of these questions in more detail the in forthcoming weeks.

First, we must understand that God has given us participation in His eternal purpose. Is our ultimate purpose worship or evangelism? John Piper said, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church, worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When people from all nations are before the throne, missions ends. Missions is a temporary necessity, but worship is eternal.”

And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation (Rev 5:9).

The purpose of the Great Commission is to be the means of gathering worshippers together in Christ to the praise of the Father’s glory.

11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory (Eph 1:11-14).

So when somebody asks you why you go to church, you could tell them you do so because you find God and His people to be your all-satisfying source of joy, meaning, and belonging. The church is at the very center of what God is doing in this age and we get to be a part of it! God has met two of our deepest needs by creating the church and calling us to participate in it. This is why there’s no place I’d rather be when the church gathers for worship then with the people of God to the praise of the glory of God. The next time the church gathers, will you be there to find your meaning and belonging?

Pastor Massimo