church reloaded: A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not go out. - (lev. 6:13)Pastor Clement AkranHealingsprings fellowship

What is the church?1 Corinthians 12:12-14"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. 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. For the body does not consist of one member but of many". • the original Greek ekklesia meant "a gathering, assembly" and is the

basis for our word "congregation." • And that is what God designed the church to be—a group of people

irrespective of: class, race, ability, gender, age…

The church is not the building• The church was the people, not the building• The definition of a "church" as a separate building specifically for

worship would have been foreign to the early believers, as they met in homes• With the legitimization and affluence of Christianity in later years, the

"church" came to mean the building where people met• When a building was mentioned in the New Testament, it was always

in relation to the church that met there:• Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2

If the church is a group of people, who then is the leader?Matthew 16:13-20 (NRSV)13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

…Eph. 1:22-23 (NRSV)22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

- So Christ is the head of the church, and the church is the body of Christ

- Like with the building of the tabernacle, each worker assigned to the church was gifted with unique skills for the accomplishment of the church project

So, why the church?- Eph. 3:7-137 Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. 8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10 so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. 13 I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.

Some fundamental truths • Unity is the heart of fellowship:• Destroy unity, and you rip the heart out of Christ’s body•Without unity there is no fellowship – and without

fellowship there is no church• Jesus prayed for the unity of his followers - in John 17 he

asks 5 times for unity and oneness• In the early church the believers were united in their

hearts and spirit… in fact they shared everything in common - Acts 4:32

Unity requires effort on our part:• Jesus paid the price for the church with his suffering and death on the

cross – so nothing is more valuable to God than his church• Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of

peace – Ephesians 4:3• It is our role to protect the unity of the church, as such we need to see

ourselves as agents of unity

• This is a type of the perpetual fire mentioned in Lev. 6:8-13, right at the heart of the tabernacle (the focus of worship)

Lev. 6:8-138 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 9 Command Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the ritual of the burnt offering. The burnt offering itself shall remain on the hearth upon the altar all night until the morning, while the fire on the altar shall be kept burning. 10 The priest shall put on his linen vestments after putting on his linen undergarments next to his body; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar, and place them beside the altar. 11 Then he shall take off his vestments and put on other garments, and carry the ashes out to a clean place outside the camp. 12 The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it shall not go out. Every morning the priest shall add wood to it, lay out the burnt offering on it, and turn into smoke the fat pieces of the offerings of well-being. 13 A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not go out.

How do we keep this fire burning today?

1. Focus on what we share in common, and not our differences - 1 Cor. 1:10: Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.2. Be realistic in your expectations – Eph. 4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,3. Chose to encourage, rather than criticise – Rom. 14:10-12 10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” 12 So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

…4. Refuse to listen or be involved in gossip:- A gossip reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a babbler. Proverbs 20:19 - Like an archer who wounds everybody is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard. Proverbs 26:10 5. Practice God’s method of conflict resolution:- 15 “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. Matt. 18:15

…6. Support your church leaders:- Hebrews 13:17 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are

keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with sighing—for that would be harmful to you. - 1 Peter 5:5-6 5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the

authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.

…- 1 Tim 5:17 17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching;

Conclusion1 Peter 2:4-6 (NRSV)4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture:“See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious;and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

…

1 Peter 4:10 (NRSV)10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.

church reloaded: perpetual fire (Lev. 6:13)Pastor Clement AkranHealingsprings fellowship